Introduction

This chapter introduces the book's core themes, which focus on demonstrating the programmability of decisions and enhancing the understanding of the required artificial intelligence (AI) culture to empower agile organizations in dynamic environments. Consequently, the main concepts and their interactions are explained to design an AI decision-support model. On one side, integrated within the broader context of Industry 4.0, AI-based technologies bring profound societal changes as they become increasingly embedded in everyday life. On the other side is decision-making, which requires distinguishing between programmed and non-programmed decisions within AI-based technologies. The chapter establishes the groundwork for developing an AI decision-support model based on Porter’s value chain concept. AI cannot operate independently of human involvement, necessitating a balance between social and technical objectives within organizations. This leads to the socio-technical theory, which underscores the mutual influence of humans and machines. The integration of these ideas is crucial for applying AI effectively in decision-making. A framework such as actor-network theory (ANT) is needed to understand how networks of human and non-human actors form and function. The chapter thus outlines the book's objectives and describes the research methodology, including the concept of action design research (ADR), employed to achieve these objectives.