Human-AI Collaboration in West-Romanian SMEs: A Qualitative Study of Managers’ Early-Stage Adoption, Risks and Value

Abstract

This study focuses on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from the western side of Romania. The current research starts
from the hypothesis that SMEs started to experiment with generative artificial intelligence at a growing rate, in order to reduce costs
and accelerate customer communication. However, evidence from owner-managed companies in Central and Eastern Europe is
limited. This study addresses this research gap by bringing evidence gathered using the qualitative methodology. Evidence on this
topic was collected in Arad, Romania, and examines how managers in the service-sector SMEs adopt AI in their day-to-day work,
what benefits and risks they perceive, and which routines enable a responsible, human-in-the-loop use. This research is conducted
from a managerial point of view, showing the challenges that managers try to address and the backlash that some of them faced
from their own employees. It is important to mention that this study focuses on how these managers and their employees use AI as
a tool in their companies, not as a replacement for their human employees.
This study provides understanding of the benefits and challenges that are encountered by real-life managers and why it is
important to proceed with caution and adopt new technologies responsibly. Limitations of this study include a single region and
reliance on self-reported commercial outcomes. Future research should include evidence from a wider region.