Xero has lifted the lid on a major AI upgrade at Xerocon in Brisbane today and it’s set to give small business owners back their most precious commodity: time.

The global accounting platform announced a new chapter for its AI financial superagent, JAX (short for Just Ask Xero), powered by a fresh collaboration with OpenAI. The revamped JAX promises to cut down on the drudgery of admin, serve up smarter financial insights, and free accountants and bookkeepers to focus on the good stuff like growth and relationships.

“This evolution of Xero’s platform is a foundation for the next era of small business accounting,” said Diya Jolly, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Xero.

“JAX doesn’t just support today’s workflows; it continuously learns, adapts and acts to meet the evolving needs of business owners.”

By handling repetitive tasks, Jolly said, customers can zero in on “growth, relationships, and high-value decisions” instead of drowning in spreadsheets and reconciliations.

JAX makes light work of a month’s worth of bank reconciliations. Image supplied

Meet JAX, your new AI sidekick

So, what will JAX do for you? Xero says its souped-up AI will unify the Xero experience by delivering a single intelligent interface that learns how your business ticks and adapts to your rhythms.

Further benefits include the automation of repetitive tasks. For example, if the thought of a month’s bank reconcilliations has you weeping in the corner, JAX will be your new best friend. It can automate bank recs, data entry, and invoices, while still giving you control of the nitty-gritty as needed.

With OpenAI’s web research tools baked in, JAX can also surface smarter business insights for small business owners and their advisers. JAX can pull in info on tax laws, market trends, and more, then serve up proactive suggestions.

The whole shebang is backed by Xero’s proprietary ‘JAX Assure’ system, the tool is designed to cut down on AI “hallucinations” and keep your financial data clean and reliable.

According to Xero, this makes JAX more than just another chatbot. They’re pitching it as an ‘always-on dedicated team’ that can spot potential issues before they blow up and act as a trusted partner for small businesses.

OpenAI gets on board

Giancarlo ‘GC’ Lionetti, Chief Commercial Officer at OpenAI, said the partnership is about putting AI to work where businesses need it most.

“With AI tools like JAX, small businesses can save time, work more efficiently, and grow. Collaborating with Xero is a great example of how we’re bringing the practical benefits of intelligence directly into the platforms businesses already rely on,” says Lionetti.

JAX business intelligence at work

Small business appetite for AI is growing

The launch of JAX comes at a time when AI and AI agents are generating a lot of noise. Xero says 73 per cent of its customers have already used AI features across the platform since March. And that appetite is only growing. In a 2025 survey of 300 Aussie small businesses, 58 per cent said they plan to ramp up AI investment over the next year. Most also agreed that AI adoption is “absolutely essential or very important” to stay competitive.

More goodies from Xerocon

The JAX upgrade wasn’t the only thing on show at Xercon. Xero also rolled out a suite of new tools aimed at accountants and bookkeepers, including:

Xero Partner Hub: A central spot for practice tools, client data, and AI-driven insights.

New workpapers solution with BGL: Syncs ledger and ATO tax data to slash manual entry.

Syft Analytics integration: Adds forecasting, business health scores, and multi-entity reporting (included in eligible plans).

Redesigned homepage and navigation: Say goodbye to static dashboards and hello to customisable, insight-rich views.

Xero’s AI push is pitched as a way to work smarter, not harder. The platform wants JAX to be the extra set of hands that never sleeps, pulling in the data you need, when you need it, and trimming hours off the week.

“By handling repetitive tasks and empowering our customers to focus on growth, relationships, and high-value decisions, we’re seeing what’s possible for the future of work in the accounting industry, and we’re excited to keep expanding our AI offering,” Jolly concludes.

Disclaimer: The reporter was a guest of Xero at Xerocon.

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