• Xero announced a new generative AI-powered tool at its Investor Day called Just Ask Xero or JAX.
• The assistant is capable of handling accounting-related requests, as well as providing business insights.
• A beta for JAX will go live later this year, with pricing starting at $29 a month.

Xero is the latest company aiming to leverage the power of generative AI with the announcement of a new offering called Just Ask Xero or JAX for short.

Given the company‘s focus on accounting software for small businesses in particular, JAX is designed to assist with accounting-related quests, as well as offer some business insights for those wanting to glean the maximum understanding of how they operate.

Previewing the capabilities of JAX at its Investor Day, Xero explained that it, “gives users a natural, approachable way to interact with Xero’s products, right from within the apps and devices they already use every day.”

“When available, Xero’s customers will be able to Just Ask Xero to complete tasks like generating an invoice, editing a quote, or paying a bill, either in Xero or other commonly used apps and surfaces such as mobile, WhatsApp, and email. JAX will not only complete the task, but it will also anticipate other tasks that may follow, such as sending an email to follow up on an overdue payment. It will also provide rapid, personalised insights on demand, such as cash flow projections, to give customers the confidence they need to make business decisions,” it added In a release shared with Hypertext.

At the time of writing there is no definitive date regarding the release of JAX, but it is expected to be available in beta later this year.

“Technology has changed the lives of small businesses dramatically — first with cloud accounting, then automation, and now through GenAI. We’re embracing this new wave of tech innovation responsibly, with our customers at the heart of what we do, as we deliver on our vision to be the most trusted and insightful small business platform,” highlighted Diya Jolly, chief product officer at Xero.

It remains to be seen how much access to the service will eventually cost small businesses operating in South Africa, but pricing plans for the US will start at $29 (~R557) and top out at $62 (~R1 190) for the Premium tier.

There will also be value-added options such as managing claims expenses, tracking the progress of projects, and getting deeper analytics, with each costing a further $4 per month.

“In the future Xero plans to integrate the AI assistant into the JAX experience to iteratively streamline the onboarding and troubleshooting experience,” the company noted.

“AI already powers many of Xero’s everyday features, saving our customers time and delivering them important insights. Our AI vision builds on our strong foundation of experience in building data-driven products, and holds true to the responsible data use commitments that guide our decisions,” Jolly concluded.