Basilio Ruiz de Apodaca, OihanaMontes Gan, Vicente J.Moreno-Brieva, Fernando2025-02-202025-02-202025-06Oihana Basilio Ruiz de Apodaca, Vicente J Montes Gan, Fernando Moreno-Brieva, Non-hierarchic leadership collaboration: Exploring the adoption of AI-driven social networking for addressing social challenges in an extra-organizational environment, Technology in Society, Volume 81, 2025, 102809, ISSN 0160-791X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102809.1879-3274 (online)0160-791X (print)https://hdl.handle.net/10115/77577The literature has explained how technology adoption and usage is affected by many socio-technical issues and how the emergence and evolution of networks is key for innovation. However, empirical analysis of interactions between leadership networks and new artificial intelligence-driven technologies is scarce. To shed new light on leadership communities around the adoption of an existing and a new technology related to leadership networks, we analyze the level of socio-digital engagement of a non-hierarchical network of individuals associated with a prestigious Spanish Foundation in the context of pressing social challenges. We apply a methodology that combines quantitative and qualitative methods, sentiment analysis, and insider research to analyze the strategy applied by the Foundation. Our main results show that the existence of strong, trust-based relationships and the introduction of a well-designed AI-based tool may only have a limited effect on the adoption of technology and the evolution of a network. Specifically, in the case studied, the network of leaders around the Foundation comprised peer leadership networks but not collective leadership networks focused on action on social challenges.en-USAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Technology adoptionNon-hierarchical networksCollective actionSentiment analysisCommunity buildingSocio-technical issuesArtificial intelligenceArticle10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102809info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess