The Strategic Role of Artificial Intelligence in Overcoming Intercultural Barriers for SME Internationalization: A Systematic Literature Review
Article / Journal
Author(s) / editor(s):
Israr Ahmad
Year: 2025
Language(s): English
Abstract:
In the era of digital globalization, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly challenged by intercultural communication barriers as they expand into international markets. Simultaneously, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) offer unprecedented opportunities to overcome such barriers by enhancing linguistic, cultural, and behavioral adaptation. This systematic literature review integrates findings from 131 studies at the intersection of AI, intercultural communication, and SME internationalization, applying both bibliometric and thematic analyses using the Bibliometrix R package. The review identifies four dominant technological domains—machine translation, chatbots, sentiment analysis, and adaptive learning—as primary AI enablers of intercultural competence in SMEs. The findings reveal that while AI holds substantial potential to support international expansion, significant managerial, theoretical, and ethical challenges persist. The study proposes a hybrid approach that combines AI capabilities with human intercultural competence and calls for interdisciplinary research to integrate intercultural theory into AI adoption frameworks. This review contributes to international business scholarship by offering an integrated conceptual foundation and outlining a comprehensive research agenda to guide future studies at this important intersection.
https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v25i2.1065
Post created by: interculture.de e.V.