The Impact of Employing Artificial Intelligence Technologies on the Efficiency of Accounting Systems in the Banking Sector in Palestine

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the impact of employing artificial intelligence technologies in its dimensions (expert systems, knowledge representation and inference, machine learning) on the efficiency of accounting systems in the banking sector in Palestine. The researcher adopted the descriptive-analytical method and designed a questionnaire as a research tool consisting of a set of questions intended to collect information from respondents after reviewing the relevant literature. The study population consisted of managers and employees in the Information Technology departments of local commercial banks in Palestine, totaling (7) banks. A total of (102) questionnaires were distributed, all of which were retrieved. After excluding (7) invalid questionnaires, the final sample amounted to (95) valid questionnaires, representing (93%) of the distributed ones. Several statistical analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) The study population consisted of managers and employees of the Information Technology departments in local commercial banks in Palestine, with a total of (7) banks and (122) employees. A total of (102) questionnaires were distributed, (122) questionnaires were retrieved, and (7) questionnaires were excluded, bringing the final number to (95) valid questionnaires for analysis, representing (77.8%). A set of statistical treatments was calculated using the SPSS statistical analysis program. The study reached a set of results, the most prominent of which were: The level of application of artificial intelligence in the Palestinian banking sector was high, reaching (81.2%). The results also showed that the most used dimension of artificial intelligence was "knowledge representation and reasoning" with a percentage of (82.2%), followed by "machine learning" with (81%), then "expert systems" with (80.8%). As for the efficiency of accounting systems, the overall average reached (80.6%), with a clear superiority in the dimensions of system integration and the quality of report presentation, each with a rate of (81.4%). Finally, the results of the regression analysis showed a positive and significant impact of artificial intelligence in its three dimensions on the efficiency of accounting systems, where the study model explained (55.6%) of the variance in efficiency, which confirms the importance of integrating artificial intelligence technologies in accounting work to improve performance and operational accuracy. The researcher recommends a number of recommendations aimed at enhancing the efficiency of accounting systems and expanding the scope of using artificial intelligence in the Palestinian banking sector. Among the most prominent of these recommendations: enhancing the use of artificial intelligence systems in developing solutions to banking problems, as the results showed a high awareness of their role in supporting decision-making and improving administrative performance. In addition to expanding the scope of applying these systems in processing accounting events in order to raise processing efficiency and reduce human errors. It is also recommended to invest in developing the capabilities of expert systems to support strategic planning processes and assist senior management in decision-making. It is also important to benefit from symbolic knowledge representation such as graphs and semantic networks to improve the clarity of financial data and facilitate its analysis, in addition to enhancing fast and efficient storage mechanisms of accounting knowledge within databases to achieve operational efficiency.