AI technologies affording the orchestration of ecosystem-based business models: the moderating role of AI knowledge spillover

Abstract Due to the extraordinary capacity of artificial intelligence (AI) to process rich information from various sources, an increasing number of enterprises are using AI for the development of ecosystem-based business models (EBMs) that require better orchestration of multiple stakeholders for a dynamic, sustainable balance among people, plant, and profit. However, given the nascency of relevant issues, there exists scarce empirical evidence. To fill this gap, this research follows the affordance perspective, considering AI technology as an object and the EBM as a use context, thereby exploring how and whether AI technologies afford the orchestration of EBMs. Based on data from Chinese A-share listed companies between the period from 2014 to 2021, our findings show an inverted U-shape quadratic relationship between AI and EBM, moderated by knowledge spillover. Our results enhance the understanding of the role of AI in configuring EBMs, thus providing novel insights into the mechanisms between AI and a specific business practice with societal concerns (i.e., EBM).