The Future of AI Agents in Accounting: A conversation with Stephen Edgington of Dext скачать в хорошем качестве

The Future of AI Agents in Accounting: A conversation with Stephen Edgington of Dext

In ATL 245, Randy Johnston and Brian Tankersley welcome Stephen Edgington, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Dext, for a forward-looking conversation on AI, small language models, agents, and the future of accounting automation. Edgington shares how Dext has evolved from OCR-based document capture into a sophisticated AI platform processing over 353 million documents annually with 99% accuracy. The discussion explores how Dext leverages specialized small language models rather than massive generalist AI models to ensure precision in document extraction and classification. Edgington introduces Dext Assist, an AI-driven evolution of supplier rules that learns from 12 months of bookkeeping edits to identify subconscious accounting patterns and automate complex client-specific logic. The episode also dives deep into Model Context Protocol (MCP), AI agents, API strategy, and the emerging agentic world of connected systems. Edgington compares MCP to Bluetooth—powerful but requiring iteration—and emphasizes that the next evolution of accounting technology is about integration, iteration, and human oversight. The central message: AI will not replace accountants—but accountants using AI will outperform those who do not.