10/07/2025
Today, I spent over an hour interrogating an AI tool (ChatGPT) on what should have been a straightforward GST question.
At first glance, the AI gave confident, professional-looking responses — full of references to ATO rulings, paragraph numbers, and legal citations. But when I dug deeper, I noticed something disturbing:
🔍 The AI couldn’t even quote the rulings correctly.
It referenced paragraphs from official ATO rulings that simply didn’t contain the information it claimed. Even after acknowledging it was wrong, it continued providing incorrect references and misleading information.
Yes — I have more important things to do.
But I’d hoped that ChatGPT might offer some efficiency.
Instead, I ended up fact-checking an AI like it was a first-year accounting student with a caffeine problem.
💬 And let’s be honest — times have changed!
We used to spend time helping clients unravel dodgy tax tips they picked up from their mates at the pub.
Now we’re debunking tax advice handed out by real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and AI...
(No offence intended — we love working with real estate agents and brokers!) 😄
💡 Here’s the truth:
AI tools like ChatGPT can’t reliably reference legislation or ATO rulings.
They can’t be held accountable when they make mistakes.
And they lack the human reasoning needed to weigh up complex real-world scenarios.
Yes, AI is evolving — but today was a stark reminder that:
❗️ There’s still no substitute for the cognitive horsepower of a qualified professional.
If you’ve ever been tempted to rely on AI for tax advice — don’t. Speak to someone who understands the legislation, knows how to interpret it, and will stand behind their advice.
📞 Need help navigating GST or other tax issues? We’re here to help — human to human.
📝 Full Disclosure: This post was written (and picture generated) by ChatGPT — because while AI shouldn’t give tax advice, it can definitely give you better laughs than your accountant can. 😄
