The AI Evolution in Marketing and Sales: How Social Design Thinking Techniques Can Boost Long-Term AI Strategies in Companies and Regions

Modern corporations are integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their realities and facing challenges; lack of AI-focused strategy, poor data management, and mistrust towards this new technology hinder the success of a solid AI integration (Duan et al. in International Journal of Information Management 48:63–71, 2019; Mikalef, P., Gupta, M.: Artificial intelligence capability: Conceptualization, measurement calibration, and empirical study on its impact on organizational creativity and firm performance. Information and Management 58(103434):1–20, 2021). In this study, the authors have developed the Social Design Thinking Lab technique to investigate further the matter of AI barriers within the regions of Upper Austria, Vienna, and South Bohemia. The innovativeness of this paper lies in the confluence of three significant aspects: the role of AI technology, its impact on business, and the consequent argument of trust in AI applications. Findings differ according to the investigated target groups: regions and policymakers, AI developers, and companies. Nevertheless, common learnings point to a strong focus on change management and collaboration with regional institutions to get the most out of one’s corporate AI strategy while making sure that the main ethical issues surrounding AI are discussed.