Employers are using artificial intelligence (AI) in recruiting chatbots, in video interviews to assess job candidates' body language or word choices, or to extract themes from engagement survey responses. But how companies are using AI to benefit the employee experience, support compliance efforts and ease administrative workloads is not as well-known. "So much of the buzz about AI has been for its'sexy' uses around sourcing and screening in recruiting, but there are a growing number of other applications of value to HR to be aware of," said Jeanne Meister, founding partner of Future Workplace, an HR advisory and research firm in New York City. One example of AI's expanding utility: using it to audit employees' expense reports, to ensure they comply with company policy and avoid wasteful spending. AppZen in Sunnyvale, Calif., uses AI to read and extract information from receipts to catch duplicates, out-of-policy spending, incorrect amounts or suspicious merchants.

Machine learning is a form of artificial intelligence where computers can learn without being explicitly programmed for handling certain tasks by analyzing vast amounts of data in the cloud. And Intuit – the company whose mission is to power prosperity for consumers, small businesses and the self-employed around the world through products like QuickBooks, TurboTax and Mint – isn't new to machine learning. With roughly 100 patents pending and more than 30 machine learning systems in place, the company's 42 million customers worldwide are already reaping the benefits. An example where machine learning is applied to Intuit's software is in the case of the Expense Finder feature in QuickBooks Self-Employed, a product introduced a couple years ago and targeted at the self-employed. Intuit understood that it can be challenging for self-employed professionals such as website designers and Uber drivers to keep track of their personal and business expenses due to complicated tax laws.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are now changing how Americans prepare their tax returns. Good thing computer intelligence doesn't get bored... Taxes do a lot of things. Used wisely, they can make life safer, healthier and worthwhile.