Authors: Collins Frimpong Kyei
Abstract: There is no question that the widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in financial reporting systems poses new uncertainties to ethical standards in place in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies. The paper is a critical analysis of various ethical implications of the adoption of AI-driven financial reporting among SMEs in Ghana, particularly noting the dialectic of technology and conventional accounting professionalism as a part of the financial reporting process. Adopting the perspectives of Stakeholder Theory, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Resource-Based View (RBV), the present research helps question the intricate relationships between the AI integrations, ethical responsibility, and the resulting organizational performance. It becomes clear after the analysis that, though AI technologies have significant potential in terms of improving the reporting efficiency and the ability of organizations to make strategic decisions, they also create critical ethical questions about professional autonomy, transparency of algorithms, and endorsing stakeholders with confidence. The research helps establish the emerging field of AI ethics in the accounting body by contrasting the unique and complex challenges faced by SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa because of the norms and pressures of resource-shy environments and institutional frameworks that provide a distinct environment in which AI should be implemented. The evidence highlights the urgent need for thorough ethical governance systems capable of balancing technological innovation and traditional standards of the profession and overcoming the local peculiarities of the developing digital economy in Ghana.
