Basware has introduced new AI agents into its invoice management platform to enhance its existing InvoiceAI capabilities. These agents aim to make financial tasks more efficient by automating routine activities. The company describes this as a move toward “Agentic Finance,” where AI systems handle specific finance functions under set controls.

How AI Agents Improve Accounts Payable

The immediate focus of these AI agents is on accounts payable. One of the key tools is the AP Business Agent, which offers contextual guidance to users managing invoices. It suggests the next steps based on the current status of a transaction. Another tool, the AP Data Agent, allows users to ask natural language questions about invoice data. For example, users can inquire which invoices are pending approval in a certain region or identify suppliers who offered early payment discounts during a specific period.

The goal is to decrease the amount of routine queries and manual follow-ups that accounts payable teams typically handle. By automating these repetitive tasks, teams can concentrate on activities that add more strategic value. Jason Kurtz, Basware’s CEO, emphasizes that AI agents can free up staff from repetitive questions, enabling them to focus on impactful decision-making. This shift is seen as a step away from simple transaction processing toward strategic business insights.

Adoption and Governance of AI in Finance

A survey conducted for Basware shows that many companies are still experimenting with AI agents. About 61% of organizations have tried deploying these tools in some form, but only a quarter fully understand how AI operates in practice. This indicates that AI adoption in finance remains uneven and often exploratory. Basware hopes its clients will move from testing to regular use of AI agents to improve efficiency.

The survey gathered responses from 200 finance leaders across the US, UK, France, and Germany. A major concern for companies is how to govern AI activities. Financial teams will want to retain control over tasks delegated to AI systems. Basware’s platform uses a central policy engine to ensure all actions follow business rules, compliance standards, and risk thresholds. These controls are known as autonomy “gates,” which help manage the level of AI independence.

Jason Kurtz explains that trust is essential when deploying AI. “Autonomy without trust is just risk,” he says. The platform is designed to keep every AI decision explainable and governed through familiar controls. This approach aims to balance automation with necessary oversight, ensuring that finance teams stay in control while benefiting from AI-driven efficiencies.

Overall, Basware’s new AI agents represent a significant step toward more automated, smarter financial operations. By focusing on governance, ease of use, and strategic impact, the company hopes to help organizations achieve fully automated, compliant invoice processing in the future.

Inspired by

• https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/invoicing-agentic-ai-baswares-ai-agents-from-invoicing-to-100-automated/

Sources

• basware.com