📝 Show Your Work: What This Week's AI News Means for the Valley
Or: QuickBooks Writes the Friendly Reminder, Elvis Goes to Court, and a Big AI Claim Waits for the Teacher’s Red Pen
By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Most of us remember a math teacher who wouldn’t take the answer alone. “Show your work,” she’d say, and circle the bare number in red.
That’s the thread in this week’s AI news. The most useful new tools were the ones that show their work, pointing to where every number came from, and the biggest claims are the ones still waiting on the teacher’s red pen.
Here’s the roundup: QuickBooks is adding AI that drafts payment reminders and helps file sales tax, small tax offices are getting an AI that ties every number on a return to its paperwork, with a person still signing, a new website builder for small businesses promises to write only what it can back up, Elvis Presley’s rights holders sued an AI company over his songs, Microsoft offered voluntary buyouts to tens of thousands of workers, and OpenAI says its AI cracked a famous math puzzle, while outside experts check. Not one of these calls for worry. Most just call for asking, “Where’d that number come from?”
⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds
- Use QuickBooks? New AI can draft the “you still owe us” reminder. Read it before it goes.
- Getting taxes done this winter? Your preparer may use AI. A person still signs your return.
- Need a business website? If AI writes it, check every sentence is true.
- Write songs or poems? The Elvis case is about who owns the words. These are claims, not a ruling.
- Worried about jobs? Microsoft’s offer is voluntary, and it’s far from here. Learning AI basics helps anywhere.
- See a giant AI headline? “Claimed” isn’t “proven.” Wait for the checkers.
📒 QuickBooks Writes the Friendly Reminder
Intuit, the company behind QuickBooks, started rolling out new AI features for U.S. businesses on Tuesday. The AI flags invoices that are running late and writes a polite payment reminder. Intuit says customers using these reminders got paid about four days faster on average, and its own survey found 59% of small businesses have bills overdue 30 days or more, up from 47% last year. A new sales-tax tool double-checks your numbers before you file and lets you file and pay right in the app. (Those figures are Intuit’s own, results vary, and the company didn’t list prices or which states the tax filing covers.)
It’s like a good neighbor who reminds folks to bring back the borrowed ladder, so you don’t have to be the one to ask.
What it means for you: If you already use QuickBooks, look for these as new buttons in a program you know. Chasing late payments is the job most owners put off. Let the AI take the first pass, then read the reminder before it goes out, so it sounds like you.
👉 Read more (Small Business Trends)
🧾 AI Tax Prep Comes to Small Offices, With the Receipts Attached
A company called Black Ore launched a version of its AI tax-return helper for small accounting firms. The company says it prepares returns from a client’s paperwork with every figure linked to the document it came from, and that “firm professionals remain the final authority on sign-off.” It charges by the return and works inside tax programs many preparers already use. Closer to home, UTC in Chattanooga scheduled a free evening panel on AI in accounting Tuesday with professionals from Deloitte and Astec. (Black Ore’s details are the company’s.)
It’s like a new adding machine on Grandpa’s desk. The figuring gets faster, but the same man still signs the bottom line.
What it means for you: Tax season is about three months off. If your preparer uses an AI tool this year, that’s fine. A fair question to ask: “Who checks it, and who signs?” The answer should be a person.
🪧 A Website Builder That Won’t Make Things Up About You
A new tool called Website Builder by TruLata uses AI to write a small business’s website in minutes. The difference, the company says, is that it writes only from facts the owner supplies: your answers, your current website, or your Google business listing. Reviews show up word for word, and bragging claims wait for a person to check them. “An owner should never find out their own website made something up,” said founder Trace Gordon. “Ours only writes what it can point to.” Building is free; putting the site online takes a paid plan. (Features are the company’s description.)
It’s like a sign painter who only paints what’s on your business card, not what he guesses you’d like to say.
What it means for you: Whatever tool you use, AI can be tempted to “dress up” a business with made-up years or awards. If AI helps write your page, read every line and cross out anything that isn’t so. Customers remember a fib longer than a fact.
🎸 Elvis Goes to Court Over AI
The company that manages Elvis Presley’s rights, along with other owners of his music, sued Anthropic, the maker of an AI called Claude. They say the company used 274 Elvis songs without permission to teach its AI, and they’re asking for $41.1 million, plus a court order to stop. Anthropic said, “We disagree with the claims and intend to defend this case fully.” These are accusations; no court has ruled.
It’s like borrowing a neighbor’s pie recipe for the church cookbook. Most folks are happy to share, but it’s polite to ask first and put their name on it.
What it means for you: Tennessee is music country, and plenty of Valley folks write gospel, bluegrass and country songs. This case is about who owns the words and music an AI learns from. If you write songs, it’s a good week to make sure you’ve kept dated copies of your work.
💼 Microsoft Offers Buyouts as AI Costs Climb
Microsoft offered a voluntary buyout to some employees in the U.S., Canada, India and the U.K. About 60,000 people are eligible, CNBC reported, citing a person familiar with the plan. Those who accept would leave Dec. 31. CNBC says the company is balancing very large spending on AI data centers with keeping its finances strong.
It’s like a big farm buying a new combine. Some jobs change, and the folks who learn to run the new machine stay busy.
What it means for you: This is an offer, not a layoff notice, and it’s at a giant company far from here. The useful local lesson: employers everywhere value people who can use AI tools well. Free classes at the library, Chattanooga State or UTC events are a fine place to start.
🔍 A Big AI Math Claim Waits for the Red Pen
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, says its AI disproved a famous assumption in computer science about how fast certain hard puzzles can be solved. It shared its work publicly, and respected computer scientists, including two who first proposed the idea, are organizing an open, independent review. They’re checking it, not endorsing it. The claim hasn’t been peer-reviewed, TechCrunch noted.
It’s like a big fish story at the bait shop. It might be true, but everybody wants to see the fish before they believe it.
What it means for you: Nothing changes in your day. The good habit here is one OpenAI followed itself: a big claim goes to outside checkers before anyone calls it proven. Use the same rule on any AI headline that sounds too big.
✅ Your Front-Porch AI Checklist
- ✅ Using AI to write a reminder, letter or post? Read it before it goes out.
- ✅ Getting taxes done? Ask your preparer: “Who checks the AI, and who signs?”
- ✅ AI writing your business page? Cross out anything that isn’t true.
- ✅ Write songs or poems? Keep dated copies of your work.
- ✅ Hear about buyouts? Remember: Microsoft’s offer is voluntary, and free AI classes help anyone.
- ✅ See a huge AI claim? “Claimed” isn’t “proven.”
- ✅ Halloween is Sat., Oct. 31. Set your clocks back one hour Sun., Nov. 1.
- ✅ Curious about data centers? Free session Sun., Nov. 1, 4 p.m., The Chattery in Chattanooga. Sign up first.
Practical rule: If AI can’t show where a number or a claim came from, treat it like a bare answer on a math test: not done yet.
— Dunlap.Today
📚 Plain-English AI Glossary
- AI model: The “brain” behind an AI helper like ChatGPT or Claude.
- Draft: A first version that waits for a person to check it before it goes anywhere.
- Source link: A link from a number or sentence back to the document it came from.
- E-filing: Sending a tax form to the government online instead of on paper.
- Training data: The books, songs, websites and other material an AI learns from.
- Copyright: The legal right of a creator to decide how their work is copied and used.
- Voluntary buyout: An offer of money to workers who choose to leave; nobody has to take it.
- Peer review: When outside experts check a scientific claim before it’s accepted.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Will QuickBooks send reminders to my customers on its own?
Intuit describes the reminders as AI-drafted. Check your settings when the feature shows up, and keep it set so you review reminders before they’re sent.
Does the new QuickBooks sales-tax filing work in Tennessee?
Intuit’s announcement didn’t list which states are covered. Check inside QuickBooks or ask your bookkeeper before you count on it.
Is it safe if my tax preparer uses AI?
AI can help with the figuring, but a trained person should review and sign your return. It’s fair to ask your preparer how they check the AI’s work.
Can an AI website builder put false things on my site?
Some can. TruLata says its tool writes only from facts you give it. Whatever tool you use, read every line before your site goes live.
Did Elvis’s family win the lawsuit?
No ruling yet. The case was just filed, and the AI company says it will fight the claims.
Is Microsoft laying off people in Tennessee?
This is a voluntary buyout offer, not a layoff, and the reports we saw didn’t mention any Tennessee locations.
Did an AI really solve a famous math problem?
OpenAI says so, but it hasn’t been confirmed. Independent experts are checking. Until they finish, treat it as a claim.
Is a data center coming to Sequatchie County?
As of the evening of Oct. 27, 2026, we found no verified data-center proposal in Sequatchie, Bledsoe or Marion counties.
Does Dunlap.Today use AI?
Yes, to help gather information and draft. A person reviews what’s published and is responsible for every story. If you spot a mistake, tell us and we’ll fix it.
🔗 Other Resources
- Small Business Trends: Intuit’s new AI for businesses and accountants
- Ecommerce Paradise: QuickBooks AI invoice reminders and sales-tax e-filing
- GlobeNewswire: Black Ore for Small Firms
- UTC: AI in Accounting panel
- MarTech Series: TruLata’s fact-only website builder
- NBC News: Elvis Presley’s rights holders sue Anthropic
- WSMV: Elvis Presley music owners sue AI company (video)
- CNBC: Microsoft’s voluntary buyouts
- Microsoft: Introducing a voluntary exit offer
- TechCrunch: What the AI math claim means
- OpenAI: Working with academic communities
🌄 Keep Learning, and Keep Asking “Where’d That Come From?”
Nothing in this week’s news calls for worry. Bookkeeping software got a helper that writes the friendly reminder. Tax offices got a tool that keeps the receipts attached. A website builder promised to stick to the truth. Elvis’s music went to court, where questions like that belong. Microsoft made an offer people can take or leave. And a big AI claim went to the checkers before anyone called it proven.
Pick one small thing this week, maybe reading the next AI-written note before it goes out, and save the rest for another evening. The more you learn, the easier it is to use the new tools on your own terms. We’ll keep watching what matters for the Sequatchie Valley so you don’t have to. Read Dunlap.Today and sign up for our newsletter for plain-English news from right here at home.
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