This study investigates the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption as a catalyst for social innovation and inclusive territorial development within women's cooperatives in Morocco's social and solidarity economy sector. Using primary data from 65 women's cooperatives in the Marrakech-Safi region operating across agriculture, handicrafts, waste management, and sustainable tourism, we employ Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test hypothesized relationships between AI adoption, social innovation, and inclusive territorial development. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using SmartPLS 4 with 5,000 bootstrapping iterations. Results demonstrate that AI adoption significantly enhances social innovation (β = 0.562, p < 0.001) and directly contributes to inclusive territorial development (β = 0.321, p < 0.01). Critically, social innovation mediates the relationship between AI adoption and territorial development (β = 0.472, p < 0.001), with a confirmed partial mediation effect (indirect effect β = 0.265, p < 0.001). AI tools including digital market analytics, mobile payment systems, and machine learning-based management applications improve cooperative efficiency, market access, and social cohesion, though adoption rates vary significantly across operational domains (marketing: 3.78; production: 2.89). This research provides pioneering empirical evidence from the Global South on AI-driven digital transformation in the social economy. It extends the resource-based view to the cooperative context, demonstrating that AI functions as a collective asset rather than merely a competitive resource. The study reveals that technology alone is insufficient; organizational learning, institutional support, and ethical governance frameworks are essential mediating mechanisms. Findings inform policy interventions for organizations such as ODCO and REMESS, emphasizing the need for targeted digital literacy programs, infrastructure investment, and equity-focused AI adoption strategies to prevent digital exclusion within rural cooperatives.
Nouib et al. (Sat,) studied this question.