How do the dimensions of the TOE framework influence the challenges of implementing AI agents into ERP-systems? : A semi-systematic literature review

This study investigates the challenges influencing the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework as an analytical lens. Given the recent rise in AI integration within enterprise software, exemplified by platforms such as SAP Joule and Microsoft Copilot, understanding the enablers and barriers to successful adoption is essential. Through a semi-systematic literature review and thematic analysis of twelve academic sources, the study identifies recurring themes across the technological, organizational, and environmental dimensions of TOE. The study gives practical insights regarding the challenges when integrating AI into an ERP system. With comparisons to previous research, where the TOE framework has been used to explain technological adoption and assimilation of ERP systems, the challenges were found to explain the how rather than the why of technological integration. The study contributes to the theoretical development of the TOE framework in AI-ERP contexts and offers practical insights for stakeholders planning to integrate AI agents into ERP systems. Findings reveal that the technological context, particularly data quality, infrastructure readiness, and compatibility, plays a dominant role, often determining the possibility of AI integration. Organizational factors such as management structure, integration strategies, and employee management serve as supportive infrastructure, while environmental factors, including legal regulations and vendor dependency, act as conditional constraints.