Introducing: Payables Agent (2025 release wave 1)

Overview

The video introduces the Payables Agent, which uses generative AI to handle the last mile of invoice processing, the accounting knowledge that usually sits with bookkeepers and accountants. It is described as something that could be automated fully, but it is designed for human oversight, and users can configure where humans enter the workflow.

It walks through the building blocks: an e-document connector for Microsoft 365 that imports PDF attachments from a mailbox, SharePoint, or OneDrive, an inbound e-document list, and a purchase document draft page where the agent suggests how to register an invoice and users or agents finalize it. The draft page is in early stages and may change. The roadmap includes support for e-invoices, purchase order matching with three-way matching, and invoice approval.

Key points

• The Payables Agent is still in development. The stated aim is public preview in the second half of 2025.
• It is designed for human oversight, and users can configure where humans enter the workflow.
• The e-document connector for Microsoft 365 is enabled through an e-document service. It imports PDF attachments from a Microsoft 365 mailbox, SharePoint, or OneDrive.
• The inbound e-document list page is the place for every received e-document, from SharePoint, Outlook, or e-invoicing channels.
• On the purchase document draft page, the agent suggests how to register an invoice, for example deferring or splitting expenses across departments. The page shows a PDF preview, and drafts are finalized into purchase invoices. The page is early stage and may be adjusted.
• Roadmap items: other e-documents such as e-invoices, purchase order matching with three-way matching, and invoice approval with easy access to the original PDF.

Features

Quotes

• 0:26 “even the combination of all of these Technologies still don’t do that last mile of handling an invoice all the stuff that a human”
• 1:06 “generative AI is able to unlock that last mile of accounting knowledge that is typically needed to process an invoice to completion”
• 2:02 “even though this is an agent that ideally could be automated 100% it’s designed for human oversight”
• 4:03 “in early stages right now so this is where the bulk of our development is at the moment”
• 4:36 “we aim for this agent to be available for public preview somewhere in the second half of 2025”
• 5:16 “we also definitely want to support purchase order matching so you get an invoice in and you map it to purchase orders and do”

Disclaimers in the video

• 4:03 preview: this page is in early stages right now so this is where the bulk of our development is at the moment
• 4:36 preview: we aim for this agent to be available for public preview somewhere in the second half of 2025
• 4:56 coming-later: we also know it cannot stop there we need to have a good story for supporting other e doents like the E invoices
• 5:16 coming-later: we also definitely want to support purchase order matching so you get an invoice in and you map it to purchase orders and do that three-way matching