The Impact of The Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Technology on The Accuracy and Transparency of Financial Reports Using The Delphi Method

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to analyze and explore the effect of integrating artificial intelligence AI and blockchain technologies on the financial reports’ accuracy ANTI -transparency the financial reports while utilizing the Delphi methodology as the main tool for surveying academic opinions. The importance of this study comes in line with the rapid global trend that targets digital transformation in finance and accounting at a high level. Purposefully a sample of 45 academic professors with high specialization in accounting and finance and who are working as a full-time professor in the Iraqi universities has been targeted as specialists. The study will contain two main phases using Delphi methodology. The first phase is an open-ended phase that covered specialists, Professor’s opinions concerning the integrated effect of AI and blockchain on the financial reporting area. Presentation and the converting of the responses into specific themes that form the basis for the second phase were covered in this phase. The second phase will be a closed-ended questionnaire that covered these themes for measurement purpose, using a five-point Likert scale to measure the specialists’ agreement. There was consensus among academics on both phases that the integration of AI and blockchain can improve the characteristics of the financial reports significantly in the number of accuracy, transparency, credibility, and reliability, and the integration of both can reduce the manipulation of accounting information. The study recommends further to concentrate the academic and research policies on integrating the concepts and techniques of artificial intelligence and blockchain in accounting and finance curriculum and to encourage financial organizations to adopt artificial intelligence and blockchain ideas and technologies within their accounting systems to ensure high and transparency in the financial reporting.