Digital Futures for Accountants

Abstract

Digital innovations are disrupting the accounting profession, and this disruption is likely to increase.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, blockchain, and decision support technologies are moving beyond the "hype" stage to adoption in the accounting profession.  While accountants are gaining a greater understanding of these technologies, there is limited consensus about using these new capabilities in the accounting domain and how they are likely to impact the profession.  This study investigates the potential impact of emerging technologies on the accountant's role.  A review of six relevant  accounting journals was conducted focusing on  emerging technologies and published between 2011-2020. The researchers identified 83 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The articles examined are used to understand what the digital future looks like for the accounting profession.  The article considers how the accounting profession needs to transform in light of these technologies and how accountants can play an integral role in digital transformation.