There's one of mine in there where I predicted in 2023 that it would be 20 years until AI would be reliably able to entirely build and deploy arbitrary applications from a prompt. I was off by about 18 years on that one!

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BobbyTables2 6 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I’m right with you there.

It also didn’t help that for a very long time, simple adaptive filters and basic neural networks were branded as “artificial intelligence” despite having very basic capabilities and little mystery on how/why they worked in their narrow use case.

I didn’t believe the recent hype for a very long time. But having tried out the latest models, I’m kinda shocked. In 1 minute it comprehends a complex niche code base and points out subtle errors with very little noise. A senior engineer we would have taken months to do less. Coverity would have cost dearly and generated far more false positives than substance.

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ASalazarMX 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

One challenge of mine is a self-hosted AI doing my full tax return, without errors that would get me in trouble. Bonus points if it exploits legal loopholes.

I want AI to replace me in my chores, not in my enjoyable activities.

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notJim 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

In recent years, I have not been able to find a human CPA who can accomplish this feat. (If anyone has a reco who's taking new clients in the US west coast, feel free to email me.)

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underlines an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

i filed my swiss taxes for 2025 in 2026 (april) by dumping everything (local tax law, tax guide, my and my wife's documents, bank statements, income statements, etc.) into a folder and asking claude to fill it out. i had nothing to fix. submitted it.

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tehjoker 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

That particular one is solved in other countries. The tax authority just sends you a bill and you text yes or no. Only people with very complex situations need to file.

They don't do this in this country because (a) it's a political project to make people to sympathize with the rich by feeling their pain (b) it's a great scheme for legalized corruption by creating incentives to build companies around a fake problem.

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avadodin 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Literally everything could be derived automatically by the government in current year so filing taxes feels like entrapment, but I like that idea.

They not only do that —saving you so many worries— but then you get to be medieval about it and say: no, I challenge the tax authority to a duel.

	▲	twoodfin an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Literally everything could be derived automatically by the government in current year… The Earned Income Tax Credit is one of the most important transfers embedded in the tax code. It provides about $70B to low-income workers every year. Take a look at the eligibility criteria: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-in... You can claim the EITC if you are married, not filing a joint return, had a qualifying child who lived with you for more than half of the tax year and either of the following apply. - You lived apart from your spouse for the last 6 months of tax year, or - You were legally separated according to your state law under a written separation agreement, or a decree of separate maintenance and you didn't live in the same household as your spouse at the end of the tax year. … You can claim the head of household filing status if you're not married, had a qualifying child living with you more than half the year, and you paid more than half the costs of keeping up your home. No, the government can’t derive this all “automatically”.

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User23 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Actually you can do this in the USA.

You can just ask the IRS for your "tax transcripts" and do the data entry. People don't do this because it leaves tons of money on the table.

Now you might say that a tax game that rewards skilled play is bad. But are you sure about that? Because everyone with influence over the system (who all happen to be skilled players) happens to be quite fond of the game, observably speaking.

	▲	crote an hour ago \| parent [-]
		> People don't do this because it leaves tons of money on the table. In my country I literally got a letter from the government if I could please file my taxes, because they believe the automatic deductions are too high so I am likely owed a back payment. In a previous year (I am not very good with non-timing-critical paperwork) they even called me on my personal cell to inform me about something similar. The slogan of our tax collection agency is "we can't make it more enjoyable, we can only make it easier". If you're a regular employee and your taxes - deductibles or not - are a hassle, then that's 100% a political choice.