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of Internal Revenue Service The IRS is deploying Salesforce artificial intelligence (AI) agent programs across multiple departments following major layoffs earlier this year, according to a report.
Paul Tatum, executive vice president of global public sector solutions at Salesforce, said the tax collection agency plans to implement Agentforce in the Office of the Chief Counsel, Taxpayer Advocate Services and the Office of Appeals. told Axios In a report released Friday.
The announcement comes after the IRS cut its staff by at least 25% earlier this year as the Trump administration works to downsize the federal government.
Tatum said the AI agents are built with “a lot of guardrails” and don’t have the power to make “final decisions” or “distribute funds.”
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Internal Revenue Service in Washington, DC, February 13, 2025 (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
“Salesforce does not advocate for the visually impaired.” AI-powered tax return processing There is no human involvement in reviewing and supplementing it,” he told the outlet.
The program is designed to help overworked IRS staff process customer requests more quickly and efficiently, Tatum added.
Tatum said the AI agents are built with “a lot of guardrails” and don’t have the power to make “final decisions” or “distribute funds.” (/ensemble)
FOX Business reached out to the IRS and Salesforce for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
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Rob Fitzpatrick, senior counsel in the IRS Office of the Chief Counsel, said the agency began modernizing the decades-old system in 2023. Transition to AI It’s both inevitable and competitive.
“I think we all need to recognize that change is coming,” Fitzpatrick told Axios, adding that the layoffs likely stemmed from multiple factors. “Either you embrace change and become more efficient and create more work, or you quit.”
The U.S. flag flies over the International Revenue Agency headquarters in Washington, DC, on January 3, 2024. (J. David Eyck/Getty Images)
In addition to this year’s layoffs, the IRS announced that its organization will also be disbanded. Office of Civil Rights and Complianceresponsible for discrimination protection, audits, and investigations. The remaining staff were reassigned.
At the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, the IRS employed about 100,000 people. About 12,000 people have left since then. 7,000 people were fired during the trial period And 5,000 more are scheduled to depart within Trump’s first three months in office.
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In contrast, the Biden administration had previously increased the IRS staff by about 20,000 people in an effort to increase the agency’s tax revenue.
Fox Business’ Daniella Genovese and Eric Revell contributed to this report.
