Xero Blog

The Xero Responsible Data Use Advisory Council recently held its seventh meeting, with a focus on the extraordinary developments in the field of generative AI, and the myriad potential applications for small business. 

When we look at a technology that has massive future potential, while already sitting firmly in the here and now, it’s hard to go past e-invoicing. The ability to send and receive invoices directly between accounting systems (and eliminate the need for manual, error-prone PDFs sent via email) offers some very exciting benefits.

It wasn’t that long ago that you needed to take out a credit card and enter the number every time you wanted to pay for something online. Today, you can instantly complete purchases in a few clicks, like Amazon’s ‘buy now’ express button.

If you ever worked with Office 97, you’ll remember Microsoft’s iconic assistant Clippy. The animated AI-based paperclip would pop up in your document and offer to help you format whatever you were working on.

The amount of global coverage for the metaverse has ramped up in recent times, creating the impression that it will soon become a common way to sell, play and work online.

It’s safe to say that artificial intelligence (AI) is now part of common language and everyday life. But while we’ve all heard of the term, not everyone really knows what it is or how to use it (or rather, whether it can be useful for them). 

We’re thrilled to be launching Future Focus, a series dedicated to removing the mystery, hype — and maybe even fear — from some of those futuristic technologies you’ve always wondered about, but never knew how, or who, to ask.

Technology advancements are continuously reshaping not only the way we work, but fundamentally how we operate across nearly every industry. With new innovations unlocked almost daily — each with a unique promise to transform how we do business — how do busy small businesses and their advisors separate the fad from the fancy?

I’m excited to share that we’re establishing a Xero base in India, where there is deep technical talent, to enhance our existing hiring and development programs for technology roles.  Through a strategic partnership with Infosys, a global digital services and consulting company, we’re setting up a Xero-managed centre of technical talent at an Infosys campus in India.