Enabling Dimensions of Artificial Intelligence in the Entrepreneurial venture creation process: A Conceptual Framework and Future Research Agenda

ABSTRACT

Objective: The concept of external enabler has been proposed as an alternative construct to entrepreneurial opportunities in entrepreneurship literature. External enablers are distinct, external circumstances -such as political and regulatory changes, demographic and social shifts, and new technologies- that can play essential roles in creating and/or enabling start-ups. Based on their inherent nature, the external enablers framework sequentially activates heterogeneous mechanisms, roles and characteristics within the entrepreneurial venture creation process. Specifically,artificial intelligence(AI) as a technological enabler that interacts with the human factor, affects the entrepreneurial venture-creation process. Through a systematic analysis of existing studies, this research identifies the enabling dimensions of artificial intelligence and presents a coherent conceptual framework in this field.

Method: This research serves an applied purpose and utilizes a meta-synthesis approach for data collection. The study follows the three-stage model proposed by Xiao and Watson (2019). The initial research population included 713 studies up to August 2025, identified through forward and backward citation methods, with a focus on the pivotal study by Chalmers et al. (2021) on artificial intelligence as an external enabler. Following the screening process, 28 articles were selected for data extraction, analysis, and synthesis.

Results: This study analyzed the enabling dimensions of artificial intelligence in the entrepreneurial venture creation process. The dimensions and components were identified and extracted based on the meta-synthesis method.The process of data analysis and coding resulted in the extraction of 35 first-order concepts, which were aggregated into 19 second-order themes. These themes were categorized into four main themes: “mechanisms”, “roles”, “characteristics” and “nature of tasks”, elucidating the enabling dimensions of AI in the entrepreneurial venture creation process within a coherent conceptual framework. Mechanisms represent the ways AI exerts influence, which include mechanisms of “knowledge and information resources development”, “individual and cognition resources development”, “creation”, “substitution”, “risk and uncertainty reduction”, “legitimation”, “opportunity discovery or demand development”, “enclosure”, “combination” and “conservation and compression”. Roles define the degree of AI’s agency alongside the human agent, which can operate in three forms: replacement, integration and augmentation. The characteristics of AI specify the features of its algorithms based on two dimensions: agency intensity and transparency. Finally, all three dimensions of AI enablers-mechanisms, roles, and characteristics- are activated differently at each stage of the entrepreneurial venture creation process, depending on the nature of the tasks or performance expectations.

Conclusion: The present research indicates that artificial intelligence, as a technology enabler, has four dimensions: mechanisms, role, characteristics and nature of tasks.By providing a coherent conceptual framework of the enabling dimensions of AI, this study lays the groundwork for future empirical research by formulating hypotheses. It also outlines a comprehensive research agenda in this area by identifying and categorizing research gaps.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Entrepreneurial venture creation process, external enablers, enabling dimensions.