8 Out of 10 Korean Companies Say "AI Helps Improve Accounting Transparency"

AI Adoption in Finance, Accounting, and Audit Accelerates
Majority Recognize Need for AI;
Transparency and Efficiency on the Rise
Gap in AI Capabilities Widens Among Companies
Continuous Investment and Internal Governance Remain Key

A recent survey has found that artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a key tool for enhancing efficiency and transparency in corporate finance, accounting, and audit work.

On August 26, global accounting and consulting firm EY Hanyoung released the results of its "2025 EY Hanyoung AI, New External Audit Act and Audit Survey."

The survey, conducted this month among 575 employees working in finance, accounting, and audit departments at domestic companies, revealed that 95% of respondents believe AI adoption is necessary in finance, accounting, and audit work. Additionally, 97% expressed interest in adopting AI, indicating that the vast majority of professionals in these fields recognize the need for and importance of AI.

The use of AI in the field is rapidly spreading. Companies that are currently utilizing or preparing to implement AI in finance, accounting, and audit work account for 40% of the total. The actual adoption rate rose from 17% in 2024 to 28% this year, marking an 11 percentage point increase.

The most significant benefit of AI was cited as the enhancement of accounting transparency. Seventy-nine percent of respondents stated that "AI helps improve accounting transparency," while only 2% expressed a contrary view. Notably, among companies already using AI across various finance, accounting, and audit functions, 95% reported tangible improvements, demonstrating that actual implementation leads to positive perceptions.

Respondents identified "automation of accounting processes" as the top priority for applying AI and digital technologies, followed by "anomaly detection and fraud monitoring," "financial forecasting and planning," "deriving insights through data analysis and reporting," and "automating report generation using generative AI." The report explained, "Companies are moving beyond viewing AI merely as a tool for streamlining repetitive work, recognizing it as a means to support risk management and strategic decision-making."

The survey also confirmed the potential for a widening gap in AI capabilities between companies. Among those that have already adopted or are preparing to adopt AI, 96% intend to increase or maintain their current level of investment. In contrast, 73% of companies with no plans to adopt AI indicated they would either not invest or maintain their current investment levels, raising concerns about deepening polarization.

In addition, the survey found that domestic companies still lack sufficient internal institutional frameworks for AI. Only 21% of companies had established internal guidelines or governance for using AI in finance, accounting, and audit work, while 70% responded that such systems were not in place.

Lee Kwangyeol, Head of Audit at EY Hanyoung, stated, "To achieve both internal efficiency and accounting transparency in finance, accounting, and audit, not only is successful AI adoption necessary, but continuous investment is also required." He added, "To maximize the benefits of AI adoption, internal policies and governance must be established in parallel."

Meanwhile, EY Hanyoung has secured consistent audit quality by building a digital audit platform and AI automation tools through large-scale investment. The company plans to continue providing innovative and highly reliable AI audit experiences to clients with differentiated strategies utilizing AI agents. In addition, based on an integrated audit platform embedded with AI, EY Hanyoung offers insights into AI-based data analysis and improvements to companies' closing process procedures.

EY Hanyoung also supports enhanced corporate accounting transparency by providing AI-based non-audit services that drive financial innovation through AI. The company goes beyond simply applying AI technology to individual tasks, helping companies independently build ongoing AI transformation (AX) capabilities. Using an "AX Maturity Assessment Framework" specialized for finance, accounting, and audit, EY Hanyoung conducts precise diagnostics of a company's current status and, based on accumulated domestic and international case studies, presents practical and effective AX strategies and execution plans.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.