Rethinking technology adoption: responsible AI use as ethical practice in rural SMEs

This study explores Responsible AI Adoption intentions (RAAI) in rural entrepreneurship as an ethically grounded, context-sensitive process. Expanding the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), it incorporates prior experience with technology (PET), risk perception (RP), and environmental uncertainty (EU) to address moral and structural dynamics often missed in traditional models. Using survey data from 318 rural entrepreneurs and moderated regression analyses, results show that perceived usefulness (PU) significantly predicts RAAI, while perceived ease of use (PEU) does not, suggesting a shift from usability to value alignment. PET and RP moderate responsible adoption intentions, indicating that familiarity and perceived risk shape ethical decision-making. EU functions simultaneously as both a constraint and an enabling condition. These findings reconceptualize AI adoption intentions as an expression of entrepreneurial moral agency, emphasizing the importance of aligning AI strategies with the ethical concerns, capabilities, and uncertainties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural settings.