Basware has introduced a AI agents in its invoice lifecycle management platform to extend the existing InvoiceAI abilities of the platform. The company positions the agents as a step towards what it calls “Agentic Finance,” a model in which AI systems undertake finance tasks under preset controls. Jason Kurtz, chief executive officer of Basware said: “The immediate future of finance involves near-perfect, touchless invoice processing. The future involves Agentic Finance, where AI entities transact on behalf of the enterprise to drive faster, smarter decisions and real business outcomes.” He said the company is working to reach “100% automated, 100% compliant, and 100% protected invoice processing.” The immediate operational area affected is accounts payable. Basware’s agents here are designed to operate inside existing invoice process. The AP Business Agent provides contextual guidance to users handling invoices, recommending next steps based on the transaction’s status. The AP Data Agent provides the ability to query data in natural language so users can get information without using a reporting tool. Questions may be, for example, which invoices are awaiting approval in a specific jurisdiction? Or, which suppliers granted early payment discounts in a given period? The agents are intended to reduce the volume of routine queries and manual follow-ups done by accounts payable teams. Kurtz argues that the technology can alter workers’ roles. “When AI agents handle the repetitive questions to business users, AP teams are freed up to ask questions that lead to real impact. That’s how you move from processing transactions to driving strategy.” Adoption of AI in financial business functions A survey conducted on behalf of Basware found that 61% of organisations had deployed AI agents as experiments, and a quarter “did not fully understand” what an AI agent looks like in practice. The implication is that adoption remains uneven and, in many cases, exploratory. Basware’s would like to see its customers move from experimentation to operational use. The survey figures comprised of responses from 200 finance leaders in the US, United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The question permeating agentic activities in financial platforms is one of governance. Finance functions will delegate tasks to AI systems only human operators retain control over authorisation, are assured of compliance, and have access to an audit trail. Basware’s agents actions pass through what the company describes as a central policy engine. This applies business rules and sets compliance requirements and risk thresholds, referring to such controls as autonomy ‘gates’. Kurtz described the principle: “Autonomy without trust is just risk. Our platform is uniquely designed to ensure that every AI decision is explainable and governed through the same controls finance teams already rely on.” The company sees its agents integrating with established processes, rather than working in parallel outside governance frameworks. Basware has several more agentic AIs in development. A Supplier Agent will manage invoice disputes and payment queries, able to contact suppliers and summarise discussions. An AP Pro Agent is intended to assist staff to resolve processing questions via a generative AI interface. The company cites early user experiences from Billerud, a paper manufacturer. Jesper Persson from the company said there had been benefits. “Since day one, we’ve perceived the desired values from the project. The quality of invoices has improved considerably, and the AI continues to evolve and improve with each passing day. The efficiency gains we achieved translated directly into tangible cost savings.” The company’s objective is to have finance teams delegate decisions and actions to agents in the future, and it plans to release more AI tools in 2026. The company states that AI is in its platform not an add-on feature. Keys to agentic success in finance departments The introduction of AI agents in accounts payable may reduce manual effort and response times, with any gained value dependent on at least some of the following: the quality of the AIthe condition of existing invoice datathe translation of existing business and governance rules into terms an agent can followhow far an organisation is willing to delegate its finance function’s work to AI.(Image source: “Invoicing department of newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet” is licensed under CC BY 4.0.) Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is part of TechEx and co-located with other leading technology events. Click here for more information.AI News is powered by TechForge Media. Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars here.The post Basware’s AI agents: From invoicing to “100% automated” appeared first on AI News.