Artificial Intelligence Adoption and its Effects on Digital Transformation and Maturity: Evidence from a Mobility and Payment Ecosystem

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: This study examines the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption, digital transformation, and digital maturity in a Brazilian subsidiary operating in the mobility and payment ecosystem. Methods: An interpretivist, qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design was adopted, combining a single case study with semi-structured interviews and the CRITIC and WASPAS multi-criteria decision-making techniques. Results: The findings show that AI adoption is shaped by organizational structure, culture, employee training, and technological integration. When supported by governance, acculturation, and capability development, these conditions may contribute to digital transformation. In the CRITIC-based weighting structure, implementation cost presented the lowest informational contribution, while internal development emerged as the most salient alternative, followed by partial implementation and ready-made or outsourced solutions. Managers also associate AI adoption with gains in efficiency, customer experience, and competitive positioning. Conclusions: The study shows that AI adoption interacts with digital transformation and digital maturity in an emerging-market subsidiary, not as a universal driver of transformation, but as a contingent catalyst shaped by governance, acculturation, internal capabilities, and ecosystem coordination.