The future of intelligent Internet agents in European financial reporting

Abstract

This paper explores the future of intelligent Internet agents in European financial reporting. Currently, intelligent agents are under development in the US for various financial reporting purposes. Clearly, the greater complexity of the European financial reporting environment presents an opportunity for development of intelligent agents to assist in cross-national financial reporting and analysis tasks. After reviewing the European accounting environment, intelligent Internet agents are defined and described. Potential applications and avenues for development are identified. The nature of European financial reporting calls for the development and use of intelligent agents to help decision-makers deal with the complexity of the financial environment.