freee to Establish AIBP (AI Business Partner) Department Directly Under CAIO from July 2026

freee K.K. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Daisuke Sasaki, hereinafter referred to as "freee") announces the establishment of a new department, AIBP (AI Business Partner), directly under the CAIO (Chief AI Officer) starting July 2026. This department will strongly promote and support AI utilization across various business divisions.

Establishment of AIBP (AI Business Partner) Department to Become a New Partner Transcending Business Growth and Risk Control, Similar to HRBP (Human Resource Business Partner)

Beyond temporary operational efficiency improvements using AI, freee aims to fundamentally "AI-nativeize" all businesses and organizations, from product development, sales & marketing activities, to back-office operations, thereby maximizing the value delivered to users. In fact, while strategic AI utilization areas have been selected and promoted top-down since last year, a movement has also emerged internally for members to spontaneously transform their work styles.

However, achieving company-wide "AI-nativeization" requires not only cutting-edge technology verification but also an entity that diligently supports problem-solving at the closest proximity to the business to realize management strategies and business objectives. Similar to "HRBP (Human Resources Business Partner)" which supports business growth by addressing organizational and human challenges, the "AIBP (AI Business Partner)" department has been newly established as a specialized partner to comprehensively support more members in maximizing the power of AI, based on a solid foundation of security (risk control).

This organization will launch with a robust, company-wide structure under the ownership of CAIO Yokoji, with division heads from each department serving as de facto members. With the birth of AIBP, freee will evolve into a safe and overwhelmingly "AI-native" company by leveraging the explosive energy driven by its members, thereby paving the way for the future of small businesses.

Role of AIBP (AI Business Partner)

AIBP will be assigned to each business division and serve as a specialized partner that supports business growth and problem-solving using "the power of AI" at the closest distance to the employees within the target organization. Its primary roles include:

1. First Point of Contact and Traffic Control for AI Utilization in Each Department

As more members engage in AI utilization, AIBP will act as the initial point of contact, supporting everything from judging business value to considering appropriate implementation methods. It will provide traffic control to appropriately guide quality and safety before escalating to security and legal reviews.

2. Thorough Governance and Security Risk Hedging

It will ensure compliance with the appropriate guardrails designated by management and security departments, serving as a foundation for reliable and safe AI operations, including preventing direct information leakage in prompts and unauthorized distribution.

3. Improvement of AI Literacy and Optimization of Account Management

It will promote in-house training and the cross-dissemination of advanced AI utilization case studies. Furthermore, in an environment where multiple AI tools can be utilized, it will foster advanced organizational literacy to select and utilize the optimal AI tool based on use cases and costs (e.g., token costs), and meticulously optimize account operations.

Comment from Yokoji Takashi, Co-founder/Director, CAIO (Chief AI Officer) of freee K.K.

Using "D4U (Done for You) Technology," freee aims to shift the user experience from "Done by You," where customers operate the tools themselves, to "Done for You," where AI completes tasks behind the scenes. To achieve this, we must first be an overwhelmingly AI-native organization ourselves. The newly established AIBP will be an organization responsible for "traffic control" and "transformation" that supports the business of each department while ensuring safety and quality. At freee, we will further strengthen our system to enable the entire company to master AI and deliver an essential "Done for You experience" to our customers.

What is freee's "D4U (Done for You) Technology"?

This is a mechanism that allows small businesses to confidently entrust their operations to AI, offered by freee, the most user-friendly SaaS from AI. While the era of "how easy it is for humans (Done by You)" was important, in the AI era, it is crucial to deliver the experience of "how much can be left to AI (Done for You)". D4U Technology aims to realize this new operational experience of "leaving it entirely to AI" through four values: low-cost design, sustainable growth model, high safety standards, and reliable execution.

freee AI Special Feature Page: https://www.freee.co.jp/ai/

Company Profile of freee K.K.

Company Name: freee K.K. (Trade Name: Freee Kabushiki Kaisha)

Representative: CEO Daisuke Sasaki

Establishment Date: July 9, 2012

Location: Art Village Osaki Central Tower 21F, 1-2-2 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo

https://corp.freee.co.jp/

<Basic Knowledge of Back Office Useful for Managers and Staff>: https://www.freee.co.jp/kb/

<Latest Job Openings at freee K.K.>: https://jobs.freee.co.jp/

With the mission "Make small businesses the protagonists of the world," freee realizes an integrated management platform that allows anyone to manage their business freely. As a SaaS cloud service originating in Japan, it builds an open platform in collaboration with partners and financial institutions, continuously providing "magic value."