The adoption of artificial intelligence methods in entrepreneurship research: current state and pathways forward

Tatiana Beliaeva (), Sami Ben Jabeur () and Adnan Maalaoui
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Tatiana Beliaeva: UR CONFLUENCE : Sciences et Humanités (EA 1598) - UCLy - UCLy (Lyon Catholic University), ESDES - ESDES, Lyon Business School - UCLy - UCLy - UCLy (Lyon Catholic University)
Sami Ben Jabeur: UR CONFLUENCE : Sciences et Humanités (EA 1598) - UCLy - UCLy (Lyon Catholic University), ESDES - ESDES, Lyon Business School - UCLy - UCLy - UCLy (Lyon Catholic University)

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Abstract: Entrepreneurship research is increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI)-based methods to gain new insights into entrepreneurial phenomena. We document this surge by mapping the principal topical applications of AI methods, their contributions to entrepreneurship research, and the most promising avenues for future inquiry. A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of 142 journal articles reveal key performance metrics and trends of AI-enabled entrepreneurship research. The results indicate a growing use of AI methods to examine a range of entrepreneurial phenomena, including the entrepreneurial process, venture capital, crowdfunding, performance, innovation, and digitalization. We further develop a framework illustrating how AI methods contribute to theory testing and theory building through their integration into data collection and measurement, data analysis, or both. Finally, we outline a roadmap to guide future research leveraging AI methods.

Keywords: systematic literature review; bibliometric analysis; research methods; machine learning; artificial intelligence; entrepreneurship research; revue systématique de la littérature; méthodes de recherche; apprentissage automatique; intelligence artificielle; recherche en entrepreneuriat; analyse bibliométrique (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-04
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Published in Small Business Economics, 2026, pp.1-25. ⟨10.1007/s11187-026-01215-6⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05598724

DOI: 10.1007/s11187-026-01215-6

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