Artificial Intelligence and Bias: Questions, Challenges and Opportunities for Entrepreneurship

Call for Papers – Artificial Intelligence and Bias: Questions, Challenges and Opportunities for Entrepreneurship

Journal: International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Submission window: 1 July 2026 – 31 August 2026

This special issue explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and AI‑induced bias shape entrepreneurship, examining both the risks AI‑bias poses to entrepreneurial processes and the new opportunities that emerge from efforts to mitigate those biases. It seeks to connect entrepreneurship scholarship with work on algorithmic fairness, ethics, and responsible‑AI design, positioning entrepreneurship as both a site of AI‑bias problems and a vehicle for socially just, bias‑mitigating innovation.

Why this issue matters

• AI is increasingly used in opportunity recognition, product development, big‑data analytics, and organisational decision‑making, reshaping how entrepreneurs create, capture, and deliver value.

• However, AI outputs are often susceptible to systematic biases arising from data, algorithms, or user interactions, which can reinforce existing inequalities, misrepresent under‑represented groups, and distort business decisions.

• This SI explicitly links entrepreneurship with AI‑bias literature, asking how bias affects entrepreneurial processes and cultures, and how entrepreneurial actors (start‑ups, SMEs, scale‑ups, social entrepreneurs) can lead in developing bias‑mitigation tools and responsible‑AI ventures.

Key themes and focus areas

Papers may be empirical, conceptual, or mixed‑methods, and are expected to advance theoretical insight and practical relevance. Topics include, but are not limited to:

• AI bias and entrepreneurial processes

  • How AI‑induced bias affects idea generation, opportunity recognition, and business‑model design.

  • Examples of AI‑bias in innovation processes across sectors (e.g., healthcare, education, finance, agriculture).

• Entrepreneurship and mitigation of AI bias

  • New ventures and business models dedicated to AI‑bias detection, fairness auditing, and explainability.

  • Start‑ups and SMEs providing tools for responsible AI adoption in entrepreneurial ecosystems.

• AI bias, culture, and decision‑making

  • How entrepreneurial and organisational cultures shape AI‑adoption choices and reactions to biased outcomes.

  • AI‑bias in entrepreneurial decision‑making (e.g., investor scoring, credit‑risk models, hiring and selection tools).

• AI, big data, and business opportunities

  • How AI‑enabled big‑data analytics create new business opportunities—but also new forms of exclusion and bias.

  • Case studies of AI‑driven ventures and their ethical and social‑impact profiles.

• AI bias and sustainable society

  • AI‑bias implications for inclusive growth, social entrepreneurship, and environmental entrepreneurship.

  • How bias‑aware entrepreneurial activities can support sustainable and equitable development.

• Methodologies for AI‑bias management

  • New qualitative, quantitative, or mixed‑methods approaches to study AI‑bias in entrepreneurial contexts.

  • Frameworks and metrics for evaluating fairness, transparency, and accountability in entrepreneurial AI usage.

Guest editors

• Prof. Francesco Schiavone, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Italy

• Dr. Tais Siqueira Barreto, Nova Southeastern University, USA

• Dr. Anna Bastone, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Italy

Submission details

• Submission portal: ScholarOne Manuscripts for IJEBR:
  https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijebr

• During submission, select the special issue title:
  “Artificial Intelligence and Bias: Questions, Challenges and Opportunities for Entrepreneurship”.

• Key deadlines:

  • Opening date: 1 July 2026

  • Closing date: 31 August 2026

• All manuscripts must follow the journal’s Author Guidelines:
  https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/ijebr#jlp_author_guidelines

• Submitted papers must not be under review elsewhere or previously published.

Papers selected for the SI should clearly connect AI‑bias concerns with entrepreneurship and either theorise this relationship, present empirical evidence, or propose actionable entrepreneurial and managerial responses to AI‑related fairness and inclusion challenges.

ServiceSetu Academics — Premier Platform for Academic Opportunities & Research Collaboration

Visit official website of the publisher