TKC Announces Launch of AI Agents 'FX Agent' and 'OMS Agent'

TKC Corporation has announced it will newly offer two AI agents: 'FX Agent,' integrated into its 'FX Cloud Series' cloud accounting system for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and 'OMS Agent,' integrated into its 'OMS Cloud' practice management system for TKC member firms (certified public tax accountants and certified public accountants). A prototype will be released in July of this year, with a phased rollout starting from the end of September.

Both agents have three major features. First is 'Governance by Design,' which embeds rules to protect clients' highly confidential financial data into the product design. Second is 'Platform-Native AI,' where the AI operates within the TKC systems that clients use daily, rather than as a standalone service. Third is 'Human in the Loop,' which incorporates a process where a tax accountant or an accounting staff member must always review and approve, preventing the AI from completing tasks on its own.

President and CEO Masanori Iizuka commented, 'The legal responsibilities that accounting firms bear towards their clients are not lightened by the evolution of IT; in fact, they are becoming heavier. TKC feels this responsibility as a system provider and supports its clients with technology. We have embedded the principle that AI is purely a support for professional judgment, and the final decision is always made by a human, directly into our product design. Sacrificing data security in exchange for convenience is not an option for TKC.'

The background for this offering is the challenge of complying with the Certified Public Tax Accountant Act and the Personal Information Protection Act, as the data handled by accounting firms is extremely confidential, even as the use of generative AI in business expands. By integrating the AI agents within its existing systems, TKC has created a mechanism to utilize AI while protecting data.

Regarding the overview of the AI agents, 'FX Agent' for SMEs will assist with tasks such as automating journal entries, data linkage, and business planning support. This, combined with monthly audits by accounting firms, will achieve high-quality in-house bookkeeping. On the other hand, 'OMS Agent' for accounting firms will support professionals by streamlining audits, aiding financial analysis, and leveraging in-office knowledge based on accumulated financial and tax information.

Elaborating on the three features: With 'Governance by Design,' by having the AI agents operate as internal functions of the system, there is no path by design for data to leak externally. It is built on the Microsoft Foundry, providing enterprise-grade security. 'Platform-Native AI' ensures that the AI operates only within the defined scope of TKC's systems and that data is always processed internally. This complies with the requirements of tax and data protection laws. Therefore, direct connections from external AIs like ChatGPT will not be provided.

Finally, 'Human in the Loop' is a design where the AI does not autonomously complete tasks. The AI's role is to organize issues and perform primary processing, while final tax and accounting judgments are always made by humans. The AI will display the source data for its suggestions, allowing users to critically verify them and mitigating the risk of 'automation bias.' This design is essential for fulfilling the supervisory duties and because tax judgments are the exclusive domain of tax accountants. Furthermore, the AI's inference scope is intentionally limited, referencing previously confirmed journal patterns to structurally eliminate risks from uncertain reasoning. In exceptional cases, the AI will defer judgment and entrust it to a human.