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The impact of artificial intelligence on audit profession

Abstract

There is an expectation that the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) will bring about profound changes in the current paradigm of the audit profession, ensuring better reliability and security in the analysis of financial statements. This paper reports the results of a questionnaire survey to ascertain the perceptions of certified auditors, from two Portuguese districts, regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on the audit profession. Findings reveal that the respondents believe that the profession's future depends on the implementation of AI, namely in the efficiency and effectiveness of audit procedures, sampling techniques, cost-benefit relationship and recognizing material distortions.

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The impact of artificial intelligence on audit profession

Author: Rodrigues, Luis; Pereira, José; da Silva, Amélia Ferreira; Ribeiro, Humberto
Publisher: IADITI Editions
Year: 2023
Source: https://comum.rcaap.pt/bitstreams/42f8b036-7059-4399-9d49-3f9aa05f1acf/download
Copy igh © 2023 by Au ho /s and Licensed by IADITI. This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License which pe mi s
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Jou nal o In o ma ion Sys ems Enginee ing and Managemen
2023, 8(1), 19002
e-ISSN: 2468-4376
h ps://www.jisem-jou nal.com/
Resea ch A icle
The impac o a i icial in elligence on audi p o ession
Luis Rod igues1, José Pe ei a1, Amélia Fe ei a da Sil a2 *, Humbe o Ribei o3
1 School o Managemen , IPCA, Ba celos, Po ugal
2 CEOS.PP, Poly echnic o Po o / ISCAP, Po ugal
3 ESTGA & GOVCOPP, Uni e si y o A ei o, Po ugal
*
Co esponding Au ho :
[email p o ec ed]
Ci a ion: Rod igues, L., Pe ei a, J., da Sil a, A. F., & Ribei o, H. (2023). The impac o a i icial in elligence on audi p o ession. Jou nal o
In o ma ion Sys ems Enginee ing and Managemen , 8(1), 19002. h ps://doi.o g/10.55267/iad .07.12743
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Recei ed: 13 No 2022
Accep ed: 18 Dec 2022
The e is an expec a ion ha he in oduc ion o a i icial in elligence (AI) will b ing abou p o ound changes in he
cu en pa adigm o he audi p o ession, ensu ing be e
eliabili y and secu i y in he analysis o inancial
s a emen s. This pape e
po s he esul s o a ques ionnai e su ey o asce ain he pe cep ions o ce i ied audi o s,
om wo Po uguese dis ic s, ega ding he impac o a i icial in elligence on he
audi p o ession. Findings e eal
ha he esponden s belie e ha he p o ession's u u e
depends on he implemen a ion o AI, namely in he
e iciency and e ec i eness o audi p ocedu es, sampling echniques, cos -bene i ela ionship and ecogniz
ing
ma e ial dis o ions.
Keywo ds: Audi , A i icial In elligence, p o ession, Managemen Sys em, Indus y 4.0
INTRODUCTION
The beginning o he 21s cen u y was ma ked by
signi ican echnological p og ess and, a he same ime, by he
g ow h o he wo ld economy and de elopmen o he
s uc u e and complexi y o o ganiza ions. In addi ion, he
le el o equi emen on he pa o use s o inancial s a emen s
has also g own, who inc easingly seek o know exac ly
whe he hey ep esen he company's inancial posi ion and
whe he hey a e ee om ma e ial dis o ion due o aud o
e o . In his con ex , as some o he audi p ocedu es, in
pa icula manual p ocedu es, a e ine icien and ine ec i e in
he cu en scena io o he ul ilmen o he p o ession's
objec i es, he need ine i ably eme ges om in eg a ing
audi ing in he pa h o new echnologies o de elop ools ha
pe o m au oma ion o a ious audi p ocesses.
The audi da es back o ancien ci iliza ions, has since aken
on a ious objec i es and unde gone se e al changes o adap
o he economic eali y o di e en imes. Howe e , he science
o audi ing can cu en ly be de ined as a con inuous and
objec i e p ocess ca ied ou by an independen expe aiming
o analyze whe he he inancial s a emen s a e ee om
ma e ial dis o ion due o aud o e o and i hey eliably
ep esen he ue image and app op ia e company.
Ne e heless, based on he de elopmen o he global
economy and, consequen ly, on he g ow h o mul ina ional
companies wi h decen alized ac i i ies and inc easingly
complex s uc u es and ansac ions, i becomes e y di icul o
he audi o o e ec i ely ul il he objec i es o he p o ession,
making i di icul o gua an ee easonable secu i y le els abou
he e aci y o he inancial s a emen s. Fo ha eason, a he
beginning o he 21s cen u y, wi h he exponen ial g ow h o
echnology, se e al wo k ools began o appea o au oma e some
o he audi p ocedu es. Fo ins ance, he concep o con inuous
Assu ance in audi is de ined by Vasa helyi e al. (2010), as he
applica ion o mode n in o ma ion echnologies o he s anda d
audi p oduc s, be hey he manda ed annual audi opinion o
in e nal IT audi . Acco ding o hese au ho s, (Vasa helyi e al.,
2010:27), “in he ea ly days o Con inuous Audi ing, he ul ima e
ideal was he e en ual de elopmen o he ― push buon
audi ‖, in which audi ing unc ions somewha analogously o he
way in which i us p o ec ion so wa e au oma ically p o ec s a
Rod igues L. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 8(1), 19002
2
/
7
PC oday wi h li le in e en ion om he use ”. This conduc
us o he big ques ion, poin ed ou by GCMA (2019:8) as he
main deba e ac oss o ganiza ions om all sec o s and
indus ies is his: “will he echnology lead o augmen ed
human in elligence, o will i lead o he ise o au onomous
in elligence and machine au oma ion?”.
Acco ding o She i & Mohsin (2021), he applica ion o AI
in inancial and accoun ing ield ha ks back o he 1980s,
ocused on epo analysis, aud de ec ion, and p edic ion. AI
is used in au oma ing adi ional wo king p ocesses, and i also
allowed accoun ing and audi companies o ex end hei
p oduc s and se ices. I s cu en applica ions in audi and
accoun ing a e well documen ed (Omo eso, 2012; Moudud-Ul-
Huq, 2014; Kokina & Da enpo , 2017; Zemánko á, 2019;
Zhang e al, 2020; Zhang, e a.l., 2022). Howe e , conce ning
he impac o AI on he u u e o he audi p o ession, he
li e a u e in no clea . This s udy aims o assess he impac s
ela ed o he applica ion o AI in his domain. I epo s he
esul s o a ques ionnai e su ey o asce ain he pe cep ions o
ce i ied audi o s, om oo Po uguese’s dis ic s, ega ding
he impac o a i icial in elligence on audi p o ession.
In he nex session, p esen s he li e a u e e iew on he
opic. The pape con inuous wi h an explana ion o
me hodologic p ocedu es. In session 4 he esul s a e p esen ed
and discussed, ollowed by he inal conside a ion in session 5.
LITERATURE REVIEW
AI is an inc easingly p esen heme in ou daily li es, as he
au oma ion o p o essional and social p ocesses a ises a a
unique pace, con ibu ing o signi ican changes in he social
and p o essional pa adigm o human beings. Howe e ,
al hough AI has assumed g ea e magni ude in he las yea s,
i s o igin is dis an in ime. As men ioned by Gab iel (2018), he
exis ence o clas ic men and a i icial beings da es back o
Ancien G eece.
Besides ha , o Rossi (2019), nowadays AI is de ined as a
scien i ic discipline, in ended o he cons uc ion o sys ems
capable o pe o ming di e si ied asks ha in eg a e human
in elligence o ul ill i s objec i es. Oli ei a (2019) s a es ha
a i icial in elligence concen a es a special di icul y in
cha ac e izing and ep oducing, as o e ime, he e ha e been
nume ous p oposals o eplica ing he cogni i e capaci y o
human beings in a compu e . Howe e , he de ines ha AI
consis s in he abili y o he human being o c ea e languages and
manipula e symbols h ough he c ea ion o sys ems composed
o cul u e and echnology, unique cha ac e is ics o he human
species. Fo Mijwel (2015: 5), AI “consis s in he de elopmen o
machines c ea ed en i ely by a i icial means ha can exhibi
beha io s like human beings wi hou aking ad an age o any
li ing o ganism.”
In e ms o p oduc i i y, acco ding o Szczepański (2019), AI
is a ool wi h he abili y o le e age economic and p oduc i i y
g ow h, as he de elopmen o mo e e icien p oduc ion
p ocesses can esul in he c ea ion o new p oduc s and se ices,
con ibu ing o an inc ease consump ion and, a he same ime,
addi ional e enue channels.
Gillham, Rimming on, Dance, Ve wij, Rao, Ba na d & Paich
(2018) es ima e ha by 2030, AI will be esponsible o global
GDP g ow h o a ound 14%, equi alen o 15.7 illion dolla s,
esul ing om he inc ease in p oduc ion and con inuous
p oduc ion, he quali y o manu ac u ed p oduc s (lesse
quan i ies o de ec i e p oduc s), he e iciency and e ec i eness
o p oduc ion ime and p oduc cus omiza ion.
In e ms o he employmen ma ke , Szczepański (2019)
a gues ha he implemen a ion o AI in he economy will
con ibu e o job c ea ion, bu also o i s des uc ion. Job c ea ion
will be he esul o he eme gence o new business a eas,
esul ing om he implemen a ion o AI in he economy, while
i s des uc ion will be based on he eplacemen o labo by
mechanized p ocesses, mo e e icien , mo e inno a i e, and
abo e all, p o i able o hei o ganiza ions. In his sense, Ve ma
(2018) s a es ha all echnological e olu ions ha e
co esponding cos s and colla e al damage, howe e , policies a e
needed ha eed he g ow h and po en ial o AI, bu ha
simul aneously ake in o accoun he possible isks ha his issue
in ol es.
Figu e 1. Impac o AI on GDP
Sou ce: Adap ed om Gillham, Rimming on, Dance, Ve wij, Rao, Ba na d & Paich (2018: 6).
Rod igues L. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 8(1), 19002
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The e is no doub ha AI suppo accoun an s and audi o s
in hei main unc ion o p o ide, and c i ical analyze economic
and inancial in o ma ion (Gulin e al., 2019). In ha sense, i is
expec ed ha , accoun an s and audi o s pe cei e AI as a
pa ne which augmen s hei in elligence wi h he abili y o
exploi complex, oluminous, and ola ile da a (She i &
Mohsin, 2021). Ne e heless, he conce n ha AI will limi
accoun s ac ions and educe hei ole and hei powe in
o ganiza ions s ill exis (Fa aj e al., 2018; Bee baum &
Puaschunde , 2019).
Acco ding o (Teck-Heng & Ali, 2008), he oo s o audi ing
da e back o ancien ci iliza ions whe e he e m “audi ”,
o igina ing om he La in wo d “audi e”, mean o lis en. In
his pe iod, acco ding o B own (1962), i was common o hea
he accoun ing o he pa imony egis e ed by he sc ibes, in
o de o p e en possible audulen ac s agains he kingdom's
pa imony.
Howe e , nowadays acco ding o Dua e (2010: 9),
audi ing as we know i oday can be de ined as “a se ice ha
is cha ac e ized by he exp ession o an objec i e opinion on
he inancial s a emen s o an en i y, e e ing o a se o
s anda ds ha ha e he na u e o public in e es and ha
con ibu e o inc easing he c edibili y o inancial
in o ma ion”. Al hough, wi h he g ow h o he wo ld
economy, de elopmen o he s uc u e and complexi y o
companies and he g owing need o ansmi eal and ue
in o ma ion o he a ious use s o inancial s a emen s, i is
expec ed ha wi h he in oduc ion o AI in he p o ession
hese changes will con inue.
Fo his eason, By nes e al. (2018) e e ha audi ing is
going h ough a c i ical si ua ion, esul ing om he p og ess
o in o ma ion echnologies (IT) as well as he adop ion o new
managemen models. Dalal (2015) a gues ha he signi ican
inc ease in he wo ld popula ion, as well as he complexi y and
na u e o economic ansac ions, will con ibu e o audi o s
becoming inc easingly dependen on so wa e, making he
execu ion o manual audi p ocedu es an inc easingly unusual
app oach and ine icien in mos o ganiza ions. Nunes, Lei e,
& Ped osa (2020) ha e he same unde s anding, who s a e ha
wi h he g owing di icul y in ob aining in o ma ion o
conclusions abou he inancial and non- inancial pe o mance
o he audi ed en i y, i will be essen ial o in oduce ools wi h
cogni i e abili ies in o de o minimize he isk o ma e ial
miss a emen and ensu e he alue and c edibili y o he
audi ed inancial s a emen s. Fo (Kokina & Da enpo 2017),
he in oduc ion o AI in he audi p o ession will be an
inc easingly ecu en ac , as only in his way will audi o s be
able o analyze la ge se s o da a and, consequen ly, ensu e he
eliabili y and e aci y o inancial s a emen s.
I is concluded ha i is gene ally assumed ha he
de elopmen o echnology as well as o o ganiza ions will
make i di icul o ca y ou manual audi ing asks and,
he e o e, will be ine i ably lead o he adop ion o ools
endowed wi h cogni i e abili ies in o de o assis audi o s.
Thus, in he ollowing poin s, i is in ended o iden i y how
hese ools can be used in he di e en s ages o audi ing,
iden i y he possible impac s o hei use, and inally, compa e
he adi ional audi app oach wi h he app oach suppo ed by
ools wi h cogni i e capabili ies.
AI is no ye dominan in he audi ing p o ession, bu he e
a e se e al au ho s who p esen some o he possible
consequences ela ed o i s use. Fo Agnew (2016), he
applica ion o AI in he a ea o audi ing will no lead o he
eplacemen o ex inc ion o he p o ession, howe e , i will gi e
ise o p o ound changes o he cu en app oach, allowing
audi o s o be e manage ime in low- alue asks and g ea e
emphasis on he a eas ha p esen he g ea es isk o ma e ial
dis o ion. By nes e al., (2018), de ends ha some o hese
consequences a e based on he au oma ion o audi asks and on
he possibili y o ully analyzing an o ganiza ion's da ase s. This
ansla es in o he uselessness o sampling echniques, which,
acco ding o he same au ho , a e cha ac e ized as mo e
ex ensi e and less e icien compa ed o examining en i e
popula ions o da a.
Fu he mo e, an Ame ican Ins i u e o Ce i ied Public
Accoun an s (AICPA) s udy indica es ha he use o AI can
mi iga e he isk o human a igue in he epe i i e analysis o an
o ganiza ion's da a. Simul aneously, ecognizes ha hese ools
may p esen he abili y o analyze huge olumes o da a and
ecognize pa e ns, ela ionships and dis o ions ha a e no
always e iden o audi o s, bu ha equi e hei knowledge and
p o essional expe ience o assess ha he esul s a e ue and
ma e ially ele an o he o e all audi con ex (AICPA, 2020).
Gi en he abo e, Nunes e . al, (2020: 3) conclude ha when
audi o s “alloca e mo e esou ces o mo e complex a eas, o
in es iga e i ems ha a e po en ial anomalies, ob aining mo e
scope o unc ions wi h a g ea e c i ical sense and p o essional
judgmen ”. Issa, Sun, & Vasa helyi (2016) s a es ha he audi ing
p o ession can gua an ee highe le els o quali y, e iciency and
e ec i eness in ob aining esul s and a be e cos -bene i a io.
Fo Ghanoum & Alaba (2020), i is possible ha echnological
e olu ion will con e he audi ing p o ession in o a mo e
p oac i e a he han a eac i e pe spec i e. Ci ing (B ennan e
al., 2017), i is plausible ha he p o ession will ake a con inuous
and eal- ime app oach, some hing con a y o wha is cu en ly
seen, whe e he highes incidence o wo k occu s a e he
accoun ing close o o ganiza ions.
Thus, he issue o an opinion abou he inancial s a emen s
by he audi o should become mo e oppo une in ela ion o he
clien 's accoun ing closing (Issa e al., 2016). A he same ime, i
is likely ha he p o ession will ha e a lowe le el o human
in e ac ion, ha some audi p ocedu es will become obsole e and
ha he exis ence o audulen ac i i ies and/o ma e ially
ma e ial miss a emen s will be signi ican ly less. In he s udy o
(AICPA, 2020), i is also men ioned ha i is possible ha he
expec a ions o use s o he inancial s a emen s can be
inc easingly highe in ela ion o he conclusions o he audi and,
he e o e, ansla e in o a highe audi expec a ion gap. E en so,
Agnew (2016) s a es ha despi e echnological de elopmen s in
his ield, he p o ession's egula o s should de elop
mechanisms ha ensu e co ec da a ex ac ion and analysis by
audi o s, in o de o allow hem o ob ain easonable secu i y
ega ding he ue iew o inancial posi ion based on inancial
s a emen s.
Rod igues L. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 8(1), 19002
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Table 1. T adi ional Audi App oach VS Audi App oach suppo ed by AI Sys ems
Fon e: Adap ado de Issa, H., Sun, T., & Vasa helyi, M. A. (2016).
Phase Assis ed app oach o AI sys ems T adi ional Audi App oach
Planning
Analysis o la ge amoun s o da a ela ed o he company's
o ganiza ional s uc u e and i s accoun ing and inancial
sys em.
The audi o collec s and analyzes in o ma ion ela ed o
he company's o ganiza ional s uc u e and i s
accoun ing and inancial sys em.
Con ac
Following he p e ious phase, he le el o isk is es ima ed, as
well as he es ima e o hou s needed o wo k.
A commi men le e is p epa ed by he audi o , based
on he es ima ed audi isk.
Iden i ica ion o
isk ac o s
Pa e n de ec ion and analysis o iden i y isk ac o s.
The audi o agg ega es he in o ma ion and uses his
p o essional judgmen o iden i y isk ac o s.
Con ol isk
assessmen
Moni o ing o con ols con inuously.
Re iew o cus ome 's CI policies and p ocedu es.
Tes he con ols.
Subs an i e Tes s
Conduc ing de ailed es s con inuously and on 100% o he
popula ion, pe o med on he company's inancial posi ion
(balance shee ). Se e al economic yea s can be analyzed.
Con inuous pa e n ecogni ion.
De ails es s a e ca ied ou by sampling, whe e hei
na u e, ex en and iming depend on he IC es s. They
a e un only o e one economic yea .
Analy ical p ocedu es a e pe o med.
E idence
Assessmen
This phase is in eg a ed in o he p e ious phase.
The audi o assesses he su iciency and cla i y o he
e idence ga he ed wi h a iew o ob aining easonable
assu ance o he en i y's inancial posi ion.
Audi epo
The audi epo can be con inuous a he han ca ego ized
(clean, quali ied, ad e se)
Based on he in o ma ion collec ed in he p e ious
phase, a clean, quali ied o ad e se opinion is issued.
As men ioned in he p e ious poin , he in oduc ion o AI
in he audi p o ession will b ing se e al changes in he cu en
app oach ensu ing signi ican imp o emen s in he quali a i e
and quan i a i e pano ama o he audi ing p o ession. In his
sense, Table 1 (Suppo ed AI app oach s. adi ional audi
app oach) p esen s he compa ison o he use o an assis ed
audi app oach o AI sys ems wi h he adi ional audi
app oach.
Conce ning he planning, con ac ing and isk
iden i ica ion phases, al hough he wo app oaches ha e he
same pu pose, i is concluded ha he use o an AI assis ed
app oach allows he collec ion and analysis o da a ha make
i possible o es ima e he isk o audi ing, es ima e he hou s
o wo k equi ed and iden i y pa e ns ha allow o he
ecogni ion o isk ac o s ha he audi o should ake in o
accoun .
In he phases o subs an i e es ing and e alua ion o
e idence, in he audi app oach h ough AI, he possibili y o
pe o ming es s con inuously and on 100% o he popula ion
is highligh ed, while in he adi ional app oach, es s a e
pe o med by sampling and in unc ion o he us es ablished
in he in e nal con ol.
Finally, al hough he conclusion o he audi is ca ied ou
in he same way o bo h app oaches, he possibili y is
highligh ed ha , h ough he use o ools endowed wi h
cogni i e abili ies, one can bene i om he possibili y o
issuing an opinion wi h a mo e oppo une da e in ela ion o
he accoun closing o cus ome s.
METHODOLOGY
In o de o con inue he discussion o he subjec o s udy,
an empi ical s udy was ca ied ou in o de o assess he
consequences esul ing om he use o hese ools. To achie e
he objec i es de ined in his wo k, he quali a i e me hod was
used h ough a su ey in he o m o a ques ionnai e, whose
a ge audience includes s a u o y audi o s limi ed o he
audi ing a ea o he Po o and B aga egions. This me hodology
seemed mo e sensible and adequa e, o allowing easy
compa abili y o da a and being able o ca y ou quan i a i e
analyses, i p esen s g ea e simplici y o ea he da a
s a is ically. Thus, he ques ionnai es we e ca ied ou wi h
espec o he Like scale measu ed a i e poin s.
Fo he cons i u ion o he sample, we e inqui ed audi o s
egis e ed in he O dem dos Re iso es O iciais de Con as
(OROC) and in he Comissão do Me cado e dos Valo es
Mobiliá ios (CMVM) whose p o essional ac i i y is exe cised in
Po ugal, headqua e ed in he egions o B aga and Po o. The
popula ion o his s udy is cons i u ed o 37 s a u o y audi o s
(OROC) om a uni e se o 60 dis ibu ed by 31 audi ing
socie ies, ha ing ob ained a esponse a e o 61.67%.
RESULTS AND DISCUSS
In his poin , he answe s o he audi o s o he ques ionnai e
e e ing o a i icial in elligence in he ield o audi ing will be
analysed. Th ough he use coe icien s o co ela ion, which aim
o measu e he ela ionship be ween a iables and wha hey
ep esen , he ela ionship o he esponses ob ained wi h he
esponden s' gende , age and yea s o expe ience will be
analyzed. Fo his pu pose, he Pea son Coe icien was used,
which suppo s esul s be ween -1 and 1, and i he esul is close
o -1, he g ea e he nega i e co ela ion be ween a iables,
whe eas i i is close o 1, he highe he posi i e co ela ion
be ween a iables. I he co ela ion coe icien app oaches 1,
he e is a posi i e ela ionship be ween a iables, ha is, i one
a iable inc eases, he o he inc eases as well. On he o he hand,
i he co ela ion coe icien app oaches is -1, he e is a nega i e
o in e se ela ionship be ween a iables, ha is, when he alue
o one a iable inc eases, he o he dec eases. I should be no ed
ha since he gende a iable is a nominal a iable, i.e., a a iable
whe e esponden s can only assume male o emale gende ,
alues o “1” o males and “2” o emales we e de ined.
5 / 7
Rod igues L. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 8(1), 19002
1. Do you conside ha he u u e o he audi ing p o ession will en ail he implemen a ion o a i icial in elligence.
Gende
Q1
Age
Q1
Expe iencie
Q1
Gende
1 ,138
Age
1 ,090
Expe iencie
1 ,023
Q1
,138 1
Q1
,090 1
Q1
,023 1
Signi i
cance Le el
,416
Signi icance Le el
,598
Signi icance Le el
,892
N
37
N
37
N
37
2. A i icial in elligence will educe audi isk
Gende
Q1
Age
Q1
Expe iencie
Q1
Gende
1 -,120
Age
1
,
034
Expe iencie
1 ,128
Q1
-,120 1
Q1
,
034
1
Q1
,128 1
Signi icance Le el
,
481
Signi icance Le el
,
481
Signi icance Le el
,
451
N
37
N
37
N
37
3. A i icial in elligence will allow audi o s o gauge he e aci y o inancial s a emen s mo e e ec i ely and e icien ly.
Gende
Q3
Age
Q3
Expe iencie
Q3
Gende
1 -,122
Age
1 ,051
Expe iencie
1 -,091
Q3
-,122 1
Q3
,051 1
Q3
-,091 1
Signi icance Le el
,471
Signi icance Le el
,764
Signi icance Le el
,593
N
37
N
37
N
37
4. A i icial in elligence will allow you o pe o m an audi on an ongoing basis.
Gende
Q4
Age
Q4
Expe iencie
Q4
Gende
1 -,004
Age
1 ,020
Expe iencie
1 ,109
Q4
-,004 1
Q4
,020 1
Q4
,109 1
Signi icance Le el
,982
Signi icance Le el
,908
Signi icance Le el
,520
N
37
N
37
N
37
In ques ion 1 (“Do you conside ha he u u e o he
audi ing p o ession will in ol e he implemen a ion o
a i icial in elligence”), we obse ed ha o he a iables
de ined in he ques ionnai e, he Pea son Coe icien , always
assumed a posi i e alue , namely, 0.138 o he gende
a iable, 0.090 o he age a iable and 0.023 o he yea s o
expe ience a iable. In ligh o he abo e, al hough bo h esul s
we e posi i e, he alues a e ela i ely close o he alue 0
han o he alue 1, which means ha he wo a iables do no
p esen a pe ec nega i e o pe ec posi i e co ela ion. In his
sense, ha ing egis e ed in his ques ion a pe cen age o 72.97%
o he op ions "ag ee" and "s ongly ag ee", i can be concluded
ha he e is ag eemen by he sample ha he u u e o he
audi ing p o ession will depend on AI implemen a ion.
Wi h ega d o ques ion 2 (“A i icial in elligence will
educe audi isk”), Pea son's was -0.120 o he gende
a iable, 0.034 o he age a iable and 0.128 o he yea s o
expe ience a iable. Al hough he co ela ion be ween he
gende a iable and he answe s ob ained o his ques ion
esul ed in a nega i e Pea son's , his is close o 0 han -1. The
same happens o he o he a iables, which despi e assuming
posi i e alues, he esul s a e close o he alue 0 han o he
alue 1, hus ansla ing in o he inexis ence o dependence
be ween a iables, ha is, ha as a a iable inc eases, does no
inc ease on a e age he esponden 's deg ee o esponse o , on
he o he hand, as he a iable age inc eases, he esponden 's
deg ee o esponse does no dec ease on a e age. Thus, al hough
he e is gene al ag eemen among he esponden s, i is no
possible o say ha he audi isk will be educed h ough he AI,
since o his ques ion he pe cen age o 24.32% was eco ded o
he op ions "disag ee" and “ o ally disag ee”, 35.14% o he
op ion “I nei he ag ee no disag ee” and 40.54% o he “ag ee”
and “ o ally ag ee” op ions.
Rega ding ques ion 3 ("A i icial in elligence will allow
audi o s o assess he e aci y o inancial s a emen s mo e
e ec i ely and e icien ly"), a Pea son's o -0.122 was ob ained
o he gende a iable, 0.051 o he age a iable and -0.091 o
he a iable yea s expe ience. Thus, despi e he co ela ion
be ween he esponses ob ained and he a iables gende and
yea s o expe ience assuming nega i e alues, he esul s a e

Rod igues L. e al. / J INFORM SYSTEMS ENG, 8(1), 19002
6
/
7
much close o 0 han o -1. The same happens o he age
a iable, which, al hough i assumes a posi i e alue, is close
o 0 han o 1, hus demons a ing he inexis ence o a pe ec
posi i e o pe ec nega i e co ela ion.
In his sense, ha ing egis e ed a pe cen age o 67.57% o
he le els “ag ee” o “ag ee a lo ”, we we e able o conclude
ha he e is ag eemen among he esponden s o his
ques ion.
In ques ion 4 (“A i icial in elligence will allow you o
pe o m a con inuous audi ”), a Pea son Coe icien o -0.004
o he gende a iable, 0.020 o he age a iable and 0.109 o
he yea s o expe ience a iable was ob ained. Gi en he esul s
ob ained, we can conclude ha he e is no pe ec posi i e o
pe ec nega i e co ela ion and ha he a iables do no
depend linea ly on each o he . Ne e heless, al hough he
op ions “ag ee” and “s ongly ag ee” eached a pe cen age o
54.05%, i is impo an o men ion ha he op ion “nei he
ag ee no disag ee” egis e ed a pe cen age o 40.54%. Thus,
al hough a signi ican pa o he sample ag ees ha AI will
allow a con inuous audi o be pe o med, ano he one abs ains
om elec ing a posi ion, ce ainly, la gely because o he
unce ain y ha cu en ly exis s ela ed o he use o hese
sys ems, since i s ill hey a e no ully in oduced o he
p o ession.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
I is e iden ha o e he yea s, echnological e olu ion has
gene a ed signi ican impac s on he social and p o essional
le el o human beings. Howe e , h ough he de elopmen o
AI, majo changes a e in p ospec in he mos di e se a eas o
human knowledge, especially in he audi p o ession, whe e
h ough he e olu ion o he economy and, consequen ly, he
size o o ganiza ions, i becomes inc easingly un easible he
execu ion o manual p ocedu es. In addi ion, he demands on
he pa o he use s o he DF a e inc easing, seeking o know
wi h g ea e accu acy and eliabili y he s a e o he inancial
posi ion o he audi ed en i y.
I appea s ha i is gene ally accep ed ha he AI will ha e
an impac on he cu en audi app oach and, consequen ly,
will gene a e epe cussions in e ms o he e iciency and
e ec i eness o audi p ocedu es, audi sampling, in he
ecogni ion o ma e ial miss a emen s due o aud o e o , as
well as in he cos -bene i a io o he p o ession. Addi ionally,
audi o s ecognize ha he in oduc ion o hese mechanisms
in o he p o ession may make i possible o ca y ou an audi
in a con inuous app oach.
I should be no ed ha he abo e conclusions we e e i ied
ega dless o he age, gende o yea s o expe ience o he
esponden s, ha is, h oughou his s udy he e was no
posi i e o nega i e co ela ion be ween he esponses
ob ained and he di e en a iables, hus e lec ing ha
p o essionals audi ecognize ha new echnologies will
change he cu en pa adigm o he p o ession.
E en so, al hough in some poin s o his s udy he esul s
we e no as exp essi e, his esul can be jus i ied by he ac
ha hese ools a e no ye ully inse ed in he p o ession, and,
he e o e, he e is some ese a ion abou he impac o AI in
some dimensions.
Al hough his s udy is dedica ed o analyzing he impac o
AI on he audi p o ession, in a b oad sense AI will con ibu e o
signi ican impac s a he le el o p oduc i i y as well as he
employmen ma ke .
Wi h ega d o u u e esea ch, as he e a e u he
de elopmen s in he ield o AI applied o audi ing and,
simul aneously, he co esponding applica ion o hese
mechanisms in he con ex o he p o ession, he e will be g ea e
isibili y o he impac s ela ed o he use o hese ools and,
he e o e , i will be possible o analyze whe he he e will be
epe cussions a he le el o he employmen ma ke , a he le el
o ela ions be ween audi eams and/o be ween audi o and
audi ee, as well as a he le el o independence o audi o s
ega ding hese ools.
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