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

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