AI tax research evaluation checklist
Twelve checks to run on any AI tax research tool before a firm relies on it: sources, jurisdiction and year, refusals, review and the deliverable.
Sources
Open three citations
Each should land on the exact section, from the official publisher, not a summary or a search page.
Ask about a past year
The answer should use the law and rates in force then, and say which year it used.
Ask about the wrong country
A Canadian question should never come back with US rules in it.
Check the date of the source
You should be able to see when each source was published or last checked.
Refusals
Ask something it cannot know
It should say it does not know, and why, rather than produce a confident answer.
Ask for a figure without the facts
It should ask for the missing fact, not assume it.
Ask about an unsupported country
It should say the country is not covered.
Change one input
The figure should move the way the law says it should.
Review and deliverable
Hand it to a reviewer
Can they see every source and decide on each finding?
Look for the trail
Who asked, who reviewed, what changed and when should all be recorded.
Check data use
Your client data should not be used beyond your work without your consent.
Export the result
It should leave as a workpaper or client pack with its sources attached.
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