Artificial intelligence comes to the Treasury: how it will be used to control our taxes and what limits it will have

The technology of the moment could not be missing in the Tax Agency. We already know how the Treasury intends to implement artificial intelligence. In a document called ‘IA Strategy Tax Agency‘, the administration responsible for our taxes has described the steps it will take from now on to implement these algorithms and these new tools. An AI that will gradually spread through the Treasury’s control systems and will have an important weight.

What AI will be used for in the Treasury. According to the Tax Agency itself, AI will serve to “increase effectiveness and efficiency”, to “simplify compliance with tax obligations” and “enhance the quality of the data declared”.

As we can see, the goal is to use AI for a bit of everything. Both to help with filing the declaration and to detect when a taxpayer has not filed, as well as to detect possible errors or inconsistencies.

The technicians will still be there. Although AI is used widely, the Treasury emphasizes that it will always be reviewed by people. The Tax Agency technicians will be present in “all stages”, from the collection of data and its verification to the choice of the techniques used in each project until finally the evaluation of the operation of each project.

It does not imply that they will be in all the steps, since the AI ​​acts autonomously, but there will be a person who must answer for the decisions of this AI.

If an AI answers, it will be marked. One of the requirements for implementing AI is to make it clear when it is being used. In this sense, the Tax Agency explains that to ensure this transparency, it will be written directly whether the response or the AI ​​acts in a process.

Examples where AI is already being used. Artificial intelligence and algorithms are not something new, we already have some small examples of their use. From chatbox and virtual assistants to personalized warning messages with errors in personal income tax to sending notices by letter to potential non-filers of personal income tax.

Data protection limits its use. AI has huge biases, but the Treasury promises that it will review the data to ensure that it is “accurate and error-free” and that it has the “required time validity.” In addition to human supervision, the Treasury explains that AI will not be used for “the processing or instruction of inspection procedures.”

AI will not be used for the taxpayer selection phase either. Here they do acknowledge that mass analysis tools are used, but not AI.

At the moment, all of these implementations are in progress and will not likely be put into use until the next tax campaign.

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