The family business in the digital era: advancing towards artificial intelligence

Purpose This study aims to analyse the literature on the digital transformation of family businesses and the impact of artificial intelligence on this process, highlighting key areas of interest and future perspectives. Design/methodology/approach A bibliometric analysis is performed to explore the interconnection between variables and the relationships between authors, countries and journals in this research area. The Scopus database was used as of March 2024, and the data analysis was carried out with Bibliometrix for result analysis and VOSviewer for scientific mapping. Findings The analysis confirms the increasing relevance of the topic, with a high number of articles in 2023. Prominent journals are identified, and authors are mainly from China and Europe. Keywords “family business” and “family firms” are strongly linked, showing a connection to artificial intelligence and digital transformation. Family businesses are embracing the digital era, and research must respond accordingly. Originality/value This pioneering study offers a novel contribution, as no prior bibliometric analysis has addressed this topic. It lays the groundwork for future research, identifying emerging themes with significant future potential.