The Influence of AI-Literate Leadership on AI Adoption in Healthcare Organizations

<p>The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare has the potential to revolutionize patient care, optimize operations, and advance diagnostic precision. However, successful adoption depends on AI-literate leadership capable of addressing ethical, technical, and organizational challenges. This study examined how healthcare leaders in Saudi Arabia perceived and engaged with the role of AI in healthcare, addressing a critical gap in understanding leadership competencies within the framework of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Using a qualitative case study design, the research explores leadership perceptions and their influence on AI adoption through semi-structured interviews with 22 healthcare leaders across diverse institutions. Thematic analysis is employed to identify patterns in the data, revealing how leadership demographics, organizational context, and varying levels of AI literacy influenced adoption strategies, perceived barriers, and readiness for digital transformation. The findings contribute theoretically to the understanding of leadership in the context of digital transformation and provide practical strategies to support AI adoption in healthcare organizations. By highlighting the role of AI-literate leadership in navigating challenges such as workforce resistance, ethical concerns, and infrastructural limitations, the study offers insights to guide sustainable and strategic AI adoption within Saudi Arabia’s evolving healthcare system.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Information Systems and Technology, PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Center for Information Systems and Technology

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Almuhrij, Abdullateef

Contributors dc:contributor

• Itamar Shabtai
• Nemer Alsulami

• Adoption
• Healthcare organizations
• Leadership
• Digital transformation
• Organizational challenges

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1013

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-2035