From Innovation to Survival: Entrepreneurial Challenges in an AI-Driven Economy

Abstract Book of the 7th World Conference on Management and Economics

Year: 2026

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From Innovation to Survival: Entrepreneurial Challenges in an AI-Driven Economy

Daniel Metz

ABSTRACT:

The rapid diffusion of artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape, transforming not only how businesses innovate, but also how they survive in increasingly volatile and uncertain environments. This paper explores the emerging challenges faced by entrepreneurs as artificial intelligence becomes a pervasive force across industries, markets, and organizational processes. Moving beyond the dominant narrative that frames AI primarily as a driver of efficiency and innovation, the study argues that future entrepreneurship will be defined by a shift from opportunity exploitation toward strategic resilience and adaptive capacity. Drawing on recent developments in digital transformation, stakeholder-oriented management, and entrepreneurial decision-making under uncertainty, the paper examines how AI alters competitive dynamics, redistributes power between human and algorithmic actors, and raises new ethical and governance-related tensions. Particular attention is given to the changing role of the entrepreneur, who must increasingly balance technological adoption with human judgment, social responsibility, and long-term sustainability. The analysis highlights key challenges related to strategic dependence on AI systems, talent and skills asymmetries, data governance, and the risk of eroding entrepreneurial autonomy. The paper concludes that in an AI-driven economy, entrepreneurial success will depend less on radical innovation alone and more on the ability to integrate artificial intelligence into coherent strategic, ethical, and stakeholder-aware business models capable of ensuring organizational survival.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Entrepreneurship; Resilience; Strategic Adaptation; Sustainability