Artificial intelligence helps French tax officials find thousands of untaxed swimming pools

Using aerial photos and artificial intelligence, French tax officials have reportedly identified more than 20,000 previously untaxed residential swimming pools--potentially netting the French government a windfall of more than 10 million euros ($10 million). And that total likely represents only a fraction of the cheese-eating tax cheats out there. According to The New York Times, the photo-scanning A.I. tool developed in tandem by a French IT firm and Google has been deployed so far in just nine of the county's 96 administrative districts. But it has been so successful that French officials are planning a national effort in the coming months. Swimming pools matter because the French property tax system is based on the theoretical rental value of a home and its surrounding lands.