Emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced data analytics, can improve audit quality in significant ways. As the regulatory overseer of public-company audits, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has a critical role to play by ensuring that its audit standards evolve as the audit profession evolves.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...