A state tax agency wants to use generative AI to give business owners tax advice. The state of California calls it an opportunity. Risk assessments are forthcoming. A constant hum fills the air at California’s tax agency this time of year — phones ring and keyboards clack as hundreds of thousands of Californians and businesses seek tax guidance. Call volume quadruples to up to 10,000 a day; average wait times soar from four minutes to 20.
“Right from the get-go when the bell rings at 7:30 you (already) have a wait,” said call center chief Thor Dunn, adding that workers with other jobs are trained to hop on the phones during peak periods. “All hands on deck.” So later this year — for next tax season — California’s 3,696-person Department of Tax and Fee Administration plans to use generative artificial intelligence to advise its approximately 375 call center agents on state tax code. The AI will then inform what they pass on to California business owners asking for tax guidanc