Success Factors of Platform Business Models in Times of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate if the success factors examined in previous studies regarding platform business models have been changed by new digital technologies at the example of artificial intelligence (AI). The question of research is to what extent and in which fields AI affects each success factor. The methodology contains a comprehensive literature review, whose findings are verified by means of a qualitative expert survey. In a first step, the existing literature is examined regarding success factors of platform business models and possible impacts of AI concerning the single factors. In a second step of the analysis, the findings are verified by interviewing experts with substantial AI background. As a result, it can be determined that AI has an impact on every single success factor. The core findings are a predicted reduction in transaction costs, a positive effect on multi-sided network effects and the contribution to evolving into a platform ecosystem. Key points in this context were process acceleration through AI-supported or entirely AI-adopted processes, as well as faster processing and effective usage of large amounts of data. These findings were also confirmed for the most parts by the qualitative expert interviews.