A new framework for the artificial intelligence entrepreneurship ecosystem

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the way modern organizations operate, defining the transition from traditional industries to digital industries in which production systems can communicate, self-monitor, and collaborate autonomously. This study proposes a new framework for the AI entrepreneurship ecosystem that emphasizes the relationships, significance, and necessity of the factors shaping this field. Adopting a multifaceted approach that integrates several analyses—partial least squares structural equation modeling, importance-performance analysis, necessary conditions analysis, and artificial neural networks—this study identifies five predictors of AI entrepreneurship intention: entrepreneurial ecosystem, social influence, openness, performance expectancy, and market changes. Using 765 responses collected through a questionnaire from potential AI entrepreneurs, the findings show that the entrepreneurial ecosystem and social influence directly influence AI entrepreneurial intention, while the other factors act as mediators or moderators. The results indicate that managerial interventions should prioritize the entrepreneurial ecosystem and social influence, which are highly important but relatively underperforming. Moreover, although openness and performance expectancy are not primary drivers of AI entrepreneurial intention, they represent necessary conditions. This study makes an original contribution by examining the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the context of AI, as well as entrepreneurial intentions to adopt AI when starting a business.