AI and International Business

Abstract

This chapter explores artificial intelligence (AI) and international business, and considers five perspectives in their interplay: intelligence, interconnectedness, complexity, mindset and foresight. It begins with an exploration of human and machine intelligence, as foundations in learning and adapting to complex business environments. The discussion then centres around the interconnectedness of the networked world, reflecting on the interplay between globalization, AI advancement and multinational companies creating a dynamic cycle of growth. By distinguishing between complicated and complex through different analogies, the intricacy of the networked company is highlighted. It then analyses the mindset for complicated and complex problems – inductive reasoning for the former and abductive logic for the latter – and the machine learning and deep-learning tools relevant to each. Finally, the ‘race condition’ is discussed, presenting foresight into the prospects of AI and international business, and concludes by highlighting the key insights of the chapter along with some directions for future research.