US member firm of KPMG, a provider of audit, tax, and advisory services, has announced a minority equity investment in Ema, an AI startup focused on developing universal AI employees.

This investment is aimed at bolstering KPMG’s position in the AI agent space, with a focus on creating AI assistants that can work in tandem with human teams.

KPMG’s investment forms part of Ema’s Series A funding round, which was led by investors Accel and Section 32.

KPMG AI and data labs principal and head Swami Chandrasekaran said: “Ema is the next frontier in human-AI collaboration, poised to transform enterprise intelligence, problem-solving, and decision-making.

“Goal-driven AI systems that autonomously plan, coordinate, and execute actions under human supervision are an important part of our strategy to accelerate innovation across KPMG’s Audit, Tax, and Advisory functions, and Ema brings unique capabilities to clients.

“As we advance GenAI integrations, we are committed to forging strategic collaborations to unlock new opportunities, and empower our clients to make faster, smarter decisions.”

Since its launch in March 2024, Ema has rapidly grown, tripling its customer base.

Ema’s AI platform is designed to streamline various processes and workflows within an organisation’s digital infrastructure. It integrates with cloud services like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, as well as widely-used applications such as Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Zendesk.

The platform’s autonomous, intelligent support systems gives AI agents the ability to transform service delivery models and improve user experience.

KPMG AI and digital innovation vice chair Steve Chase said: “Our investment in Ema demonstrates our commitment to solutions that amplify human potential, streamline operations and reimagine service delivery.”

Recently, KPMG Lower Gulf introduced a new Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) service, called Risk Hub, in the United Arab Emirates.