AI-powered ventures: How digital competencies shape entrepreneurial success

João M. Lopes; Luís Cunha; Filipe Silva; Rui Centeno Martins

doi:10.1177/09504222261446555

AI-powered ventures: How digital competencies shape entrepreneurial success

João M. Lopes
, Luís Cunha
, Filipe Silva
, Rui Centeno Martins

University of Beira Interior
Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro
Miguel Torga Higher Institute
University of Aveiro
ISLA Santarém - Instituto Superior de Gestão e Administração de Santarém

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

In the dynamic realm of digital entrepreneurship, understanding how digital competencies shape entrepreneurial outcomes is vital, especially with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). This study examines how digital competencies, as framed by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), influence attitudes, subjective norms, digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy, intention, and behavior in the context of utilizing generative AI (BingGPT) for entrepreneurial activities. Utilizing structural equation modelling, data from 311 respondents in Portugal were analyzed. Findings reveal that digital entrepreneurial intention directly drives digital entrepreneurial behavior, with TPB Attitude and SCT Self-Efficacy as key influencers, the latter facilitating the transformation of intention into action. A novel discovery underscores that digital competencies significantly enhance digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy, boosting confidence in digital ventures. Subjective norms do not influence intention, indicating that AI adoption, such as BingGPT, is internally motivated. The study highlights the critical linkage between digital competencies and cognitive-behavioral factors in leveraging AI for entrepreneurship. It contributes to understanding how AI technologies impact attitudinal and cognitive aspects, fostering digital business ventures, and elucidates the sequential influence of digital competencies, TPB, and SCT on intention and behavior in the AI-BingGPT domain.

Original language	English
Journal	Industry and Higher Education
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222261446555
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 2026

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: NECE-UBI, Research Centre for Business Sciences, Research Centre and this work are funded by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, IP, project UIDB/04630/2025 and DOI identifier 10.54499/UIDB/04630/2025.

Funders	Funder number
FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia	UIDB/04630/2025

Keywords

BingGPT
artificial intelligence
digital competencies
digital entrepreneurship
social cognitive theory
theory of planned behavior

Access to Document

10.1177/09504222261446555

Cite this

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abstract = "In the dynamic realm of digital entrepreneurship, understanding how digital competencies shape entrepreneurial outcomes is vital, especially with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). This study examines how digital competencies, as framed by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), influence attitudes, subjective norms, digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy, intention, and behavior in the context of utilizing generative AI (BingGPT) for entrepreneurial activities. Utilizing structural equation modelling, data from 311 respondents in Portugal were analyzed. Findings reveal that digital entrepreneurial intention directly drives digital entrepreneurial behavior, with TPB Attitude and SCT Self-Efficacy as key influencers, the latter facilitating the transformation of intention into action. A novel discovery underscores that digital competencies significantly enhance digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy, boosting confidence in digital ventures. Subjective norms do not influence intention, indicating that AI adoption, such as BingGPT, is internally motivated. The study highlights the critical linkage between digital competencies and cognitive-behavioral factors in leveraging AI for entrepreneurship. It contributes to understanding how AI technologies impact attitudinal and cognitive aspects, fostering digital business ventures, and elucidates the sequential influence of digital competencies, TPB, and SCT on intention and behavior in the AI-BingGPT domain.",

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N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

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AI-powered ventures: How digital competencies shape entrepreneurial success

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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Keywords

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