Mind of Murph: Going from AI 'task' agents to AI 'client' agents.

Am I "thinking ahead" or "thinking behind" when I ponder the idea of using AI Agents to 'mind' your clients as you might assign a babysitter to 'mind' your children? Tell Murph what you think in the comments to this article. 

When was the last time you felt like you needed a 'babysitter' for one of your clients?  Intuit essentially offers a service that provides that kind of client interaction (QuickBooks Live Expert Assist), which you, as a ProAdvisor, can provide for those clients who need it. But what if you could 'assign' an AI Agent to perform the same kinds of tasks? An AI Agent that your clients could ask 'all their seemingly (stupid) questions, even though no question is actually 'stupid.'

If AI Agents are becoming full-fledged digital coworkers that independently carry out complex tasks, processes, or procedures, then, rather than assigning those agents 'accounting tasks', they could be assigned to intelligently interact with clients who are constantly in need of attention. Further, these 'AI Client Agents' would continually monitor specific groups of clients they are assigned to, identify irregularities or potential issues in real (or near real) time that 'the power of AI' affords them, which might take a 'human agent' hours of data analysis to identify. Those agents could then report to you with their findings, and you could decide how to address the issue, let the AI Agent interact directly with your client, assign the AI Agent to work with an associate to address the matter with the client, or you could handle the matter if circumstances warranted. 

As I write this, I am thinking of HAL9000, the supercomputer from Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey*. "Hal," as they called him, was simply another member of the crew, responsible for running the entire ship's functions while overseeing the remainder of the crew and assisting them with their duties and personal activities. While it took the entire HAL supercomputer to perform all these tasks, we know today that AI Agents within an operating platform can be assigned to perform unique tasks (A/R, A/P, Payroll, Banking, etc.), which is all well and good, but most of us will still need someone to oversee all of that while we, or assigned staff members, perform the work of 'handling our clients.' 

Again, what if you could assign an AI Client Agent to your clients? Rather than Intuit's newest protocol of using Live Agents assisted by AI, I would prefer an AI Client Agent assisted and supervised by humans. Would this be significantly different than a human Surgeon supervising an AI-driven robotic surgeon performing a surgery on a patient? I don't think so. 

So, are you ready to assign one or more of your clients to be serviced by an AI 'Client' Agent that you supervise? 

From the AI Client Agent assigned to ABC Importers: "Hey Murph, I'm looking at the Profit and Loss as of today for our client, ABC Importers, and determined that if the pattern in Cost-of-Goods continues over the next three months as it has the last three months, their Gross Income will be 40% less than budgeted for this year. It appears that the new 'tariffs'  imposed on imports from China are significantly impacting the cost of nearly 60% of ABC's product line. It also appears that the same products are available from a different manufacturer in Taiwan at a total cost almost 20% lower than those purchased from China. Do you want me to draft an email for your signature to send this information to the CEO, CFO, and COO at 'ABC importers' to initiate changes that can get them back on track as far as their budget for Cost-of-Goods?"

If I didn't know better, I would think that I was reading an email from one of my firm associates. And I am, it's just that the associate is an AI Agent rather than a human employee. 

I would much rather take this approach to managing an accounting practice than have a set of AI Agents seemingly supervising me by providing advice on what I should do for my clients.

From your AI Finance Agent: There is an emerging trend in Cost of Goods Sold for ABC Importers that will result in a 40% decrease in Gross Income relative to the company's budget. Would you like more details?

From your AI Purchasing Agent: Recent purchases for ABC Importers' top five best-selling products have increased by nearly 60% over the last three months. Would you like to see more details?

It's two big options for us: either have an AI Client Agent analyze and identify all the issues surrounding a client situation, or have multiple AI Agents work on bits and pieces of a client's data, presenting us with singular-focused observations.  

How about you? What do you think about AI Client Agents?  Tell us in the comments below this article. 

Disclosures:

As used herein, QuickBooks^®, and QuickBooks Live Expert Assist refer to one or more registered trademarks of Intuit^® Inc., a publicly-traded corporation headquartered in Mountain View, California.

*2001: A Space Odyssey (and references to HAL9000) refer to the 1968 science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based upon the original screenplay (and related short stories) of Arthur C. Clarke. The film was produced by Stanley Kubrick Productions, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film starred Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood and Douglas Rain as the voice of HAL 9000. 

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