Adoption of Artificial Intelligence and SME Performance in Digital Ecosystems

Digitisation has become an essential condition for the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper aims to understand how artificial intelligence (AI) is integrated into the business processes of SMEs by conducting quantitative marketing research on a sample of 285 companies operating in different regions of the country. The objectives of the research were to identify the behavioural patterns exhibited by SMEs with regard to the adoption of AI, to explain the factors influencing the perceived relative advantage in adopting new digital technologies, and to highlight the determinants of business performance. Confirmatory factor analysis applied to the data yielded original results and revealed the particularities of implementing the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) model in the adoption of new technologies by SMEs in Romania. The results show that perceived relative advantage is mainly determined by competitive pressure and support from company management, while company size has a modest negative influence. Government support and AI use are not significant predictors. Furthermore, perceived relative advantage is a key mediator linking strategic and organisational factors to performance. It fully mediates the relationship between top management support for AI adoption and business performance and partially mediates the relationship between competitive pressure and performance. Government support has a direct and independent contribution to business performance, while company size and AI use do not have significant effects on performance at present.