14649: Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) Replace Entrepreneurs?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming every aspect of our lives and businesses. Over the past decade, AI has revolutionized industries by predicting consumer behavior and optimizing operations. Scholars have begun to explore its impact on entrepreneurship, focusing on human-centric dimensions like creativity, judgment, imagination, and tacit knowledge. These traits have traditionally defined entrepreneurs and distinguished them from other economic agents. AI’s ability to process vast datasets has generated insights previously unattainable, challenging traditional views of entrepreneurship. So, a debate persists on the role of AI in entrepreneurship. Some scholars see AI as an enabler, helping entrepreneurs enhance productivity through tools like ChatGPT and prompt engineering. Others believe AI could replace functions like opportunity discovery, decision-making under uncertainty, and opportunity creation. However, many scholars maintain that entrepreneurs remain irreplaceable due to their intuition, creativity, and adaptability to uncertainty—qualities algorithms cannot replicate. This symposium aims to highlight the importance of updating theoretical assumptions to address the unique challenges and opportunities posed by AI, while reexamining the core essence of entrepreneurial creativity and judgment in the face of uncertainty. The scholars invited to this panel symposium have drawn on diverse theoretical perspectives to advance entrepreneurship theory. They will provide a holistic view of AI’s promise and impact, tempering the hype while critically examining AI’s capabilities and its transformative influence on entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial practices, employment, and future organizations. Their insights, grounded in existing theory, will illuminate the intersection of AI and entrepreneurship, and provide ample food for thought to the audience.