The effect of emergent technologies on accountant`s ethical blindness

Abstract

The accounting field has come under scrutiny after a number of high-profile ethical scandals dealing with organizational fraud has been tied to the profession. While several accounting standards have been established to ensure the integrity, objectivity, and professional competency of accountants; the power of the situation and individual motivations are challenges that may ethically blind accountants and result in fraud. In this paper, we explore the combinative effect of three emergent technologies: Blockchain-based, IoT-enabled and AI-empowered distributed ledger on reducing the risk of accounting ethical blindness. We examine how technical features of emergent technologies present both gains and challenges to ethical decision-making for the accounting profession. While some of these challenges can be overcome by adopting all three emerging technologies, others require social and legal interference to avoid the challenges of these technologies. Keywords: Emergent technology, accounting ethical blindness, blockchain, artificial intelligence, internet of things.