Entrepreneurial cognition and artificial intelligence adoption – contingency role of innovation ecosystem resource mobilization and entrepreneurial bricolage

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the mechanisms by which firms
operate. To better understand this integration, this study aims to answer how
entrepreneurs’ belief systems and mental frameworks shape their intention to AI adoption,
particularly within an ecosystem, where firms are characterized by bricolage. With a focus
on the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) ecosystem (i.e. a vanguard in
embracing AI), we propose a rhetoric theoretical framework of entrepreneurial cognition,
resource mobilization from the ecosystem, and bricolage. Grounded in the social cognitive
theory, we investigate 236 firms operating in the ICT sector in Bangladesh using structural
equation modelling. Key findings from our study evident the positive impact of
entrepreneurial cognition on firms’ inclination towards AI adoption. Intriguingly, this
relationship is further strengthened when entrepreneurial cognition is coupled with the
mobilization of resources within the ecosystem. In the context of an emerging economy like
Bangladesh, the principle of bricolage also plays a crucial role in overcoming resource
constraints through resourcefulness and creativity. The research concludes with
implications for policymakers and suggestions for future studies.