The Role of AI in Indian Drone Companies: An Innovation Perspective

Abstrakt

AI technology is expected to bring about innovation in the drone industry. This is of particular interest to countries like India where the use of drones is expected to play a part in key areas like infrastructure and land planning. However there is little in the literature that tells us how companies can harness these new technologies for innovation. Therefore, this study aims to understand how drone companies in India employ AI in innovation, with the research question: How does AI play a role within innovation in Indian drone companies? In order to answer our research question, we used case study research in tandem with grounded theory to investigate how five Indian drone companies used AI in their innovation process. In addition, we undertook a review of the innovation literature to further inform our understanding of AI can fit into prevailing perceptions. Our results show that AI in drone companies is used to optimize processes, and develop new types of services, as well as make iterations more efficient. It helps reconcile the goals of cost and reduction while accentuating user-centeredness. In addition, we have found AI changes the dynamics of the company's relationship with their clients. Finally, our study show that the use of AI comes with significant managerial and technological considerations. We believe that these findings show that the impact of AI on innovation is substantial. Therefore we suggest that current innovation paradigms should be reexamined in relation to AI.