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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Amal Yamani
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DOI:10.17265/1548-6583/2025.04.001
Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics and Administration, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; [email protected]
As it leads to a significant transformation under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the course of corporate systems, including financial reporting. This research examines the role of AI in advancing financial reporting quality (FRQ) in the Kingdom’s evolving movement toward improved economy and governance. Using qualitative methodology informed by semi-structured interviews with senior finance leaders, auditors, and regulatory professionals in key sectors, the study reveals rich details about how AI technologies can—and will—be realized today, and how they can effectively improve reporting accuracy, timeliness, transparency, and regulatory compliance. The study helpfully outlines several dimensions where, as sworn, AI is advancing FRQ by automating a range of complicated data-intensive tasks, examining and identifying irregularities, and contributing to real-time decision making. Participants explained that AI would reinforce FRQ by ensuring ethical and transparent governance and enabling investment in co-human collaborative decision-making. The findings relate to agency and stakeholder theories. The research supports the notion that AI reduces information asymmetry and builds trust with investors and regulators. This study adds to a small number of qualitative studies on AI and financial governance in emerging economies and has important implications for policymakers, corporate actors, and standard setters. Moreover, it demonstrates the requirement for a collaborative national AI governance approach to ensure optimized value under the full potential of digital transformation and financial reporting standards. Future studies may explore longitudinal or cross-country comparative studies to further develop these insights and understanding.
artificial intelligence, financial reporting quality, Vision 2030, AI governance, Saudi Arabia
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