For the sake of the experiment, the French tax office decided to use artificial intelligence to search for undeclared pools. It was able to find approximately 20 thousand such pools and brought considerable income to the French budget.
The BBC writes about it.
According to French media reports, tax officials earned almost €10 million. Having a pool increases property taxes because it increases the value of the property itself.
Software developed by Google and French consulting firm Capgemini detected pools in aerial photographs of nine French regions during an experiment in October 2021. The experiment was carried out in the regions of Alpes, Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Ardèche, Rhône, Haute-Savoie, Vendée, Maine-et-Loire and Morbihan, but now the tax authorities want to extend such a check to the whole country.
According to Statista, there were more than 3.2 million private swimming pools in France in 2020, with sales growing even before the COVID pandemic. However, more and more employees were working from home, and there was a new surge in pool installations.
According to the newspaper Le Parisien, an average swimming pool of 30 square meters is taxed at €200 per year. Tax authorities say artificial intelligence could eventually be used to find undeclared home additions, patios or gazebos, which also play a role in property taxes.
"But we have to be sure that the software can find buildings with a large area, not a doghouse or a childrenʼs playhouse," noted the Deputy Director General of Public Finance, Antoine Magnan.
- In Wales, a programmer is trying to use artificial intelligence to find a hard drive with $150 million worth of bitcoins he threw away. Howells estimates that the search will take between 9 months and a year, but even if he gets permission from the board, there is no guarantee that the search will be successful or that the bitcoins from the hard drive can be recovered.
- China has created an artificial intelligence system that can measure the loyalty of Communist Party members to it. Artificial intelligence can analyze the facial expressions and brainwaves of Communist Party members as they view material promoting party policies and achievements.