Managing innovative circular ecosystems: the role of artificial intelligence

The concept of the Circular Economy (CE), in confronting global environmental and socioeconomic challenges, has continued to attract attention of researchers and practitioners, as well as result in practical initiatives and interventions for desired Innovative Circular Ecosystems (ICEs). Significantly, amidst ongoing (I)CE discussions, society witnesses the proliferated integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within organizations. AI integration by business assists their understanding of key attributes and assets, as well as in sorting and analysing ongoing operations towards sustainable practice. However, managerial-level challenges exist, including the transformative requirements concerning resource, planning, and education, and the overarching cultural knock-on effects of AI which occupy time and decision-making. In response, this chapter discusses the managerial perspective of integrating AI within organizations towards ICEs. Subsequently, presented is a novel ‘cyclical model’, which embraces and embeds AI technology through phases and stages of recognition, AI integration, and sustainable development via sequential creative and innovative activity led by managers. Adoption of this model may result in renewed organizational structure and strategy, through AI-assisted analysis, product and service redesign, and reasoned re-positioning within respective markets. Nevertheless, integration of such conceptualizations in practice, along with understanding social, cultural, and ethical impacts of the intersection of AI and ICEs within organizational and sector contexts, merits further research investigation.