This is John Batchel, conversation with my colleague, Gene Marks, about artificial intelligence and employment.

What jobs will go away? What jobs will be enhanced? What new jobs? Here, Gene and I discuss the job that will go away.

Tax prepare. Gene makes the case that much of it is routine, doesn't require a human being, rather

a human being to program the algorithm that prepares the taxes. Here's Gene Marks to explain

how he sees the future for tax preparation and what must be done. More of this tonight.

I do. I do. And there's a level where humans are still going to be. and what must be done more of this tonight.

I do. And there's a level where humans are still going to be required and needed.

But at, you know, at the same time, so much, so many tax returns that are being done right now, John, are really routine type of returns.

Okay.

With, you know, very minimal number of unusual types of transactions. And come on, that can't be automated. Of course it can. And it already is by some

companies. So I think a tax preparation is going to be, you know, go by the way of the blacksmith

sooner rather than later. I think it will be very, very easy for individuals to submit to an AI

platform, their income, their expenses, any unusual transaction they had during the year,

their personal information, just like they fill out a questionnaire for their account

every year. And you and I do that. And I think it's very easy to have an AR language model,

you know, take that information in

and prepare tax returns on your behalf. Now, that doesn't mean that, you know, you accepted 100%.

Some people may have the results of that return and then turn it over to their CPA to review

it and make sure that it makes sense to them. So a good set of human eyes is always important. But I think what these

AI applications will do is they're going to really take the place of staffers. Right now where

you have a CPA firm that has a staff accountant, prepare the return, and then the partner reviews it,

I think you'll see that AI will prepare the return and then the partner will use it. And what will

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