Factors inhibiting the adoption of artificial intelligence at organizational-level: a preliminary investigation

Artificial intelligence has emerged as a research field. Recently, there has been a remarkable increase in the adoption of AI technology in organizations as new forms of work have increased substantially. Despite the envisaged benefits of AI adoption, many organizations still struggle to drive their AI adoption forward. This study leads to the closing of this gap by conducting a thorough analysis of the current state of AI adoption and the main barriers to AI adoption among Australian organizations. To do so, we draw on The Technology-Organizations-Environment (TOE) framework to categorize the factors inhibiting AI adoption at organization-level. This paper reports on the results of an online questionnaire involving 207 small, medium and large-sized organizations about their level of AI adoption and barriers. The study offers insights and a research agenda to help executives and top-level managers prepare for AI adoption, and to make informed decisions to speed up the adoption process.