The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Business Model Innovation of Digital Platform Enterprises

Abstract

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities for business model innovation in digital platform enterprises. Despite growing interest in AI applications, the specific mechanisms through which digital platform firms leverage AI to drive business model innovation remain insufficiently explored, particularly from the integrated perspective of resource mobilization and organizational capability reconfiguration. To address this gap, this study conducts a single-case analysis of a highly successful digital platform enterprise in China. This study explores how digital platform enterprises can effectively utilize AI technologies to support business model innovation. The findings reveal that AI technologies enable digital platform enterprises to develop organizational capabilities in intelligent connectivity, intelligent development, and intelligent governance. AI-enabled organizational capabilities in digital platform enterprises evolve through three progressive stages: AI-assisted, AI-augmented, and AI-integrated. At each stage, these capabilities are shaped through different types of resource actions—namely, entry-oriented resource patchwork, depth-oriented resource arrangements, and coordination-oriented resource orchestration. This study offers practical insights for digital platform enterprises seeking to leverage AI technologies for business model innovation. By integrating the concepts of resource actions and organizational capabilities, it provides a dynamic explanation of how AI drives innovation in digital platform business models. The research contributes to the theoretical advancement of human-AI integration and resource action frameworks, offering actionable intelligence for the broader industry.