THE IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON THE ACCOUNTING PROFESSION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: PERCEPTIONS, READINESS AND REGULATORY GAP
Abstract: This study offers a detailed examination of the accounting and auditing profession’s perceptions, preparedness, and core challenges related to the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the specific context of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Main goal was straightforward: to delineate the perceived advantages of AI, concerns related to skill erosion (or “deskilling”), and to determine whether current regulatory and professional training mechanisms in BiH are sufficient to address these challenges. We employed a quantitative approach, utilizing an online survey distributed to a solid convenience sample of 270 accounting and auditing professionals in the country. The statistical methodology involved descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVA to establish significant variances in perceptions across key demographics (including gender, age, and educational attainment). The findings reveal that BiH professionals overwhelmingly perceive AI as an essential, inevitable opportunity to enhance efficiency and accuracy (with an impressive mean readiness score of M=4.21). Crucially, they also demonstrate a high degree of awareness regarding the potential risk of deskilling (M=4.12). However, this individual optimism is overshadowed by a critical and worrying systemic shortfall: extremely modest organizational investment in employee training (M=1.97). Furthermore, a central finding is the widely shared view that existing ethical and regulatory frameworks governing AI are simply not enough (M=2.48), contrasted by a surprisingly muted concern regarding data security (M=1.50). Demographic analysis clearly identifies a generational divide, showing that younger professionals, though more optimistic, are simultaneously more anxious about job displacement. The successful digital transition of the profession is directly tied to professional associations and policymakers urgently taking a proactive role - specifically through developing targeted educational curricula and updating ethical and regulatory standards - to close the current gap between individual readiness and institutional support.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI), accounting, auditing, digital transformation deskilling, regulatory framework
