Identification of Intellectual Capital in the Context of Digitalization of the Economy

Abstract

The aim of the article is to study the economic nature and essence of intellectual capital as a complex category and asset of enterprise, which is capable of generating economic profit and added value in the context of digitalization of the economy. The works of leading foreign and domestic scholars are analyzed, devoted to the identification of intellectual capital as an economic category, the studies on the structure and nature of intellectual capital in the context of four aspects. The article considers various existing scientific approaches to the identification of intellectual capital and their features and, according to the results, the main criteria that can be used by an enterprise to identify intellectual capital are proposed as follows: presence of an intellectual (creative) component; possibility of generating economic benefits; legal certainty; possibility of evaluating and identifying in accountance. Taking into account these criteria, the correlation of the concepts of «intellectual capital», «intellectual property» and «intangible assets» has been analyzed and an approach to a more correct identification of elements of intellectual capital in the accounting of enterprise has been proposed. In addition, the authors analyzed the possibility of identifying objects created with the help of artificial intelligence systems as the intellectual capital of the enterprise, taking into account the existing regulatory framework and the positions of leading Ukrainian scientists. Based on this, it is concluded that these objects can also be included in the intellectual capital, since they have legal certainty. The authors have proposed a definition of intellectual capital as a complex of information, scientific and technical knowledge, business or production experience, which is a consequence of scientific or creative activity or the use of artificial intelligence, which has the ability to generate an additional economic effect and thus can be assessed and legally identified.

Keywords

• digitalization of the economy
• intellectual capital
• identification of intellectual capital
• artificial intelligence