The theme of artificial intelligence has sparked significant discussion and interest across all fields, and auditing is no exception. Therefore, this study aims to assess the perceptions of auditing professionals regarding the influence of artificial intelligence in auditing. For this, interviews were conducted with 14 auditing professionals. The results demonstrate that despite the current limited presence of artificial intelligence in auditing, there is a perception that its implementation will be inevitable. It is also concluded that the primary effect of using artificial intelligence in auditing is enhancing audit process efficiency. This study allows the authors to foresee the paradigm shift in auditing, constituting an essential contribution to academia, but essentially, to professional auditing bodies, in defining their change strategy.
TopIntroduction
So far, artificial intelligence has been the most potent technological change of recent decades. The advance of artificial intelligence has changed how the world operates, including the world of business (Ali et al., 2022).
In 1956, John McCarthy, the Father of Artificial Intelligence, named the term “artificial intelligence” the science and engineering of creating intelligent machines. Artificial intelligence encompasses computer systems that can execute tasks that traditionally demand human intelligence. These systems can perceive their surroundings, engage in cognitive processes, acquire knowledge, and respond to their predefined objectives (McCarthy, 2007; Boucher, 2020; Taulli, 2020).
According to Hussein et al. (2016), the initial excitement surrounding artificial intelligence research was followed by the so-called “AI Winters,” as the outcomes from this research were not yielding substantial results due to technological constraints. In recent times, there has been a resurgence of interest in artificial intelligence, primarily driven by increased access to vast amounts of data, advancements in the speed and accessibility of information, the introduction of new data storage and processing technologies, and, notably, the utilization of machine learning and deep learning techniques (Martha, 2018; Oliveira, 2019).
This technology is undergoing rapid evolution, and in auditing, the auditors must comprehend the capabilities of artificial intelligence and its impact on audit decision-making processes (Uglum, 2021). According to Issa et al. (2016), integrating artificial intelligence technologies into auditing work is inevitable, not only due to the perceived necessity within the profession but also because society will demand it. Confronted with the challenges posed by the transformative technologies of Industry 4.0, the field of accounting and auditing must undergo a profound transformation to ascend to the next stage (Hasan, 2022).
The futuristic vision of auditing introduces concepts that enable improving the audit process's quality, foreseeing greater transparency and accuracy in its work. Meeting the needs and demands of various stakeholders will always be a principle upheld by the auditing function because they require quick and efficient access to reliable information to support their decision-making (Deloitte, 2021).
Artificial intelligence has brought about significant enhancements in the realms of accounting and auditing, as well as other fields, improving operational processes, reporting mechanisms, and decision-making procedures (Ali et al., 2022). Artificial intelligence technologies allow for resolving problems that traditional methods may find insurmountable. Integrating these technologies into aspects of the auditing decision-making process, such as risk assessment or fraud interviews, can support auditors and enhance the overall quality of audits (Uglum, 2021). According Han et al. (2023), the increasing adoption of blockchain technology in accounting and auditing aims to enhance practices, transparency, and decision-making. Despite potential disruptions to the profession in the future, the likelihood of eliminating the need for human professionals seems relatively low (Hasan, 2022).
Ethical considerations associated with using these technologies are significant across various sectors, including the auditing profession (Uglum, 2021). This shift necessitates a discourse on the ethics of artificial intelligence, a topic that, while discussed for decades, has only recently gained broader social relevance (Stahl, 2022). This discourse becomes crucial in an era witnessing the emergence of technologies like GPT Chat, which can produce content so refined that distinguishing between human and machine authorship becomes challenging (Illia et al., 2023). Human rights concerns, particularly regarding privacy, intimacy, dignity, and the right to be forgotten, stand out as pivotal elements in the ethical considerations of artificial intelligence (Stahl, 2022; Díaz-Rodríguez et al., 2023; Lehner et al., 2022).