Just realized I chose AI over a human for my tax prep and it backfired

I had to decide between using TurboTax's AI assistant for $89 or going to my local accountant Mike in Austin for $200. Picked the AI because I thought it would be faster and cheaper. Ended up spending 3 hours fixing a deduction it missed on my home office, and Mike charged me $150 to file an amendment anyway. Anyone else regret trusting an AI tool over a real person for something like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

owens.anthony8d ago

Man, that's rough but I gotta agree with @hannah320. It's like this whole push for AI in everything is missing the point that some things just need a human who knows the local rules and your specific situation. I see this pattern everywhere now - people using AI to diagnose a weird health issue, plan a vacation, even write a breakup text. It works fine for simple stuff but the second there's any nuance or consequences, it falls apart. Your mileage may vary but from what I've seen, AI is great for getting you 80% of the way there quick, but that last 20% is where the real value of a person shows up. Take this with a grain of salt though, I'm just an observer.

hannah3208d ago

Same thing happened to me but with legal stuff. Needed a simple will done. Used an AI service for $50. Turned out the wording was too vague and my state has specific requirements. Paid a real lawyer $200 to redo the whole thing. Learned my lesson hard. Some things you just can't cheap out on. The AI saved me money upfront but cost me way more in the end. Now I always go with a person for anything that could mess up my life later.