Personal Innovativeness and Digital Entrepreneurial Intention: A Social Cognitive Perspective and the Moderating Role of AI Adoption

Abstract Background Despite the rapid growth of digital entrepreneurship and increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), existing explanations of digital entrepreneurial intention (DEI) remain fragmented and inconsistent. Prior studies have primarily focused on either individual cognitive factors or technology adoption, while limited attention has been given to how AI-supported environments interact with psychological mechanisms underlying entrepreneurial intention formation. This limitation is particularly relevant in emerging economies, where digital entrepreneurship increasingly develops within technology-intensive environments. Methods Drawing on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this study examines the roles of personal innovativeness and digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy in shaping DEI, while also investigating the moderating role of AI adoption. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 472 university students in Vietnam and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results The findings indicate that personal innovativeness positively influences both digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy and digital entrepreneurial intention. Digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy also significantly predicts DEI and serves as an important cognitive mechanism linking innovativeness to entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, AI adoption strengthens the relationships between innovativeness and intention, as well as between self-efficacy and intention, suggesting that AI-supported environments may enhance the translation of cognitive resources into entrepreneurial motivation. Conclusion This study contributes to the literature by extending SCCT into digitally intensive entrepreneurial contexts and clarifying how technology-assisted learning and information environments interact with individual cognition in shaping entrepreneurial intention. The findings also provide practical implications for entrepreneurship education and AI-supported entrepreneurial learning among university students in emerging economies.