Gusto has launched Gusto Cofounder, a new artificial intelligence tool—which the company describes as an “AI teammate”—built specifically for small businesses.
Unlike other AI tools that start with a blank prompt, Cofounder starts with business context, Gusto says. Cofounder lives inside Gusto and already knows a business owner’s team, payroll schedule, calendar, and how the business already runs. It requires no setup and can be put to work immediately.
“Gusto Cofounder doesn’t wait to be asked. It already knows your business, takes initiative on the work that matters, and operates alongside you through the communication channels you already use, while you stay in control through permissions and approvals,” Edward Kim, Gusto co-founder and head of technology, wrote in a blog post about Cofounder on June 2.
“Gusto Cofounder is built to automate repetitive tasks across your connected tools, catch potential issues, and flag what’s coming up, so you can focus on what needs you most,” he added. “Automations are the heart and soul of Gusto Cofounder, and you can customize them for your unique business needs.”
It works with simple, human prompts, such as:
- “Run payroll for me every Friday. Text me if there are any anomalies greater than 10% from the previous week’s payroll, and flag anything that needs my approval before it submits.”
- “Generate a weekly labor cost report by department and send it to me over Slack every Monday morning.”
- “Every morning, check the weather and if it’s forecasted to rain, send an email reminder to today’s customers to bring an umbrella along with them for the tour. The customers are in the Google Sheets titled with today’s date.”
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Cofounder can also be accessed via SMS, Slack, or the web—from any job site, kitchen, or even the front seat of a truck, Gusto says.
“The most important AI products for small businesses won’t come from companies talking about AI. They’ll come from companies building alongside the owners doing the work,” Kim wrote. “That’s who Gusto serves. That’s who Gusto Cofounder is built for.”
Visit gusto.com/cofounder to join Gusto’s early access program.
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