VOICE, POWER, AND AGENTIC AI: WOMEN’S STRATEGIC AGENCY IN IDENTITY-DIVERSE DECISION ENVIRONMENTS IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

Generative and agentic artificial intelligence are reshaping strategic decision-making, but their empowering effects depend on how participation, leadership, technological capability, hierarchy, and algorithmic legitimacy interact. Drawing on Sociotechnical Systems Theory and Psychological Empowerment Theory, this study tests a moderated-mediation model using survey data from 376 women in decision-involved roles in Pakistan and PLS-SEM. Women’s Engagement in Decision-Making, Inclusive Leadership, and Generative AI Capability positively predict Perceived Enterprise Use of Agentic AI Capabilities (PEAIC), which in turn increases Psychological Empowerment and mediates all three relationships. Power Distance Orientation weakens the three antecedent–PEAIC links, whereas Perceived Algorithmic Fairness strengthens the PEAIC–empowerment relationship. The findings show that human-centric AI transformation depends not only on technical capability but also on voice, authority, and perceived fairness in identity-diverse Global South workplaces.