Strategic Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Spanish Agri-Food Firms: A Framework for Digital Transformation Pathways

Artificial intelligence could transform agri-food supply chains, yet large firms dominate adoption while SMEs lag behind. Through 14 executive interviews across Spanish agri-food value chains, this study reveals that AI adoption depends not only on resources, but also on how firms frame technology's strategic role, whether as an efficiency tool, competitive differentiator, or resilience instrument. Although digitally mature firms embed AI as a strategic asset, most SMEs experiment reactively with tools like ChatGPT or avoid adoption entirely. We introduce the Strategic-Technological Integration Framework (STIF), mapping firms across strategic orientation (efficiency, differentiation, resilience) and implementation depth (reactive, functional, transformative). Three adoption pathways emerge: efficiency-driven firms optimize incrementally, client-driven firms respond to supply chain pressures, and foresight-driven firms invest proactively. These patterns reveal that strategic framing systematically shapes adoption alongside structural factors such as resources and technological complexity. Supply chain relationships often trigger adoption even before firms develop the internal capabilities to sustain it. For practitioners, STIF offers diagnostic value: assess current positioning, identify progression barriers, and design capability-building roadmaps. For policy makers, the findings emphasize targeted executive education, collaborative learning ecosystems, and public-private partnerships that address both capability gaps and strategic vision. Digital transformation in fragmented sectors requires strategic clarity and incremental capacity building, not just technological access.