A new framework for the artificial intelligence entrepreneurship ecosystem

• A new framework for the AI entrepreneurship ecosystem that highlights the relationships, importance, and necessity of the factors that shape this endeavor is proposed: entrepreneurial ecosystem, social influence, openness, performance expectations, and market changes. • The entrepreneurial ecosystem and social influence directly influence AI entrepreneurial intention, while other factors act as either mediators or moderators. • Managerial interventions should focus on factors, such as entrepreneurial ecosystem and social influence, that are highly important but relatively low performing. Moreover, even though entrepreneur openness and performance expectancy are nor among the key drivers of AI entrepreneurial intention, they are still necessary conditions. • The study is relevant given the element of originality by examining the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the context of AI, as well as the entrepreneurial intention to use AI when starting a business. 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.