International Conference on Economics, Finance & Business, Prague

AI-DRIVEN TRANSFORMATION OF INTER-ORGANISATIONAL NETWORKS IN THE ROBOTICS INDUSTRY

FUMIHIKO ISADA

Abstract:

The diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is reshaping industrial structures and inter-organisational dynamics across numerous sectors. Among these, the robotics industry is undergoing particularly profound transformations. This study investigates how AI is influencing the structure of the robotics industry and inter-organisational relationships, with a focus on identifying the types of firms emerging as central actors in this evolving ecosystem. Historically, in sectors such as computing and consumer electronics, digitisation led to the rise of platforms (e.g., operating systems), open interfaces, and a modular industry structure. In contrast, robotics and automotive sectors remained largely vertically integrated, with limited openness. This research empirically explores whether the robotics industry is shifting from vertical integration to a more decentralised and networked structure in the AI era. It further examines whether central firms in these networks are hardware manufacturers, software developers, established corporates, AI-focused start-ups, or large technology firms. To address this, a dataset comprising global news articles and corporate press releases related to robotics and AI from the past decade was compiled. Inter-firm collaborations were extracted and visualised using social network analysis techniques to examine the evolution of collaboration structures and central actors over time. The results indicate a notable rise in AI robotics start-ups as influential nodes within the network, alongside traditional robotics firms and major AI technology companies. These findings suggest that AI is fostering a hybrid and more open network structure within the robotics ecosystem.

Keywords: Inter-Organisational Networks, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics Industry, Industrial Transformation, Social Network Analysis