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We can’t make it any more fun, but we can make it easier. Ireland takes the well-known adage of the Dutch tax authorities seriously and comes up with a chatbot to help people with all their tax related questions. The virtual assistant can also be operated by voice, which is a major step forward in Ireland’s digital transformation.

The chatbot was developed with Accenture business technology and uses artificial intelligence to streamline the tax authorities in Ireland. John Barron, the CIO of the Irish tax authorities, says he is very enthusiastic about the trial. In his statement, Barron states that he is always looking for ways to work more efficiently.

Advantages of AI

Barron argues that the Irish tax authorities fully recognise the potential benefits of artificial intelligence and want to make use of them. This pilot will help us to find new ways to improve interaction with taxpayers and increase operational efficiency.

With this partnership with Accenture, the Irish tax authorities are responding to the needs of taxpayers, whose survey showed that 70% believe that AI should be used to streamline returns and related processes. The Irish tax authorities also believe that it is time to integrate these techniques more widely in order to be able to participate in the digital transformation.

Chatbots and voice assistants are playing an increasingly important role in customer service. The fact that the Irish tax authorities are going along with this is a clear step that governments are also beginning to recognise that this is a development that can streamline certain processes. Many companies that offer online services, such as Marks & Spencers, are already doing something about this: for example, they have replaced part of their customer service by a chatbot.

This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.