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Original research
SMALL AI AS A FRUGAL INNOVATION: DESIGN FIT, TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC OUTCOMES IN KENYA AND GHANAPages 41-50
Abstract:
This study evaluates how Small AI design fit influences technology adoption and socio-economic outcomes across agriculture, education, and small businesses in developing markets. Grounded in Frugal Innovation Theory, we adopted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design combining a survey of 384 end-users in Kenya and Ghana with four embedded qualitative case studies. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), we find that Small AI design-fit — offline capability, low-cost hardware compatibility, and local language adaptation — has a strong direct effect on socio-economic impact (beta = 0.38, p < 0.001) and adoption intensity (beta = 0.42, p < 0.001). Digital readiness and perceived trust significantly mediate these relationships.
Institutional support positively moderates the link (beta = 0.16, p < 0.01). Integrating AI into familiar low-tech channels reduces adoption barriers. Tailoring AI to local infrastructure constraints thus offers a scalable pathway to inclusive digital development.
Keywords:
Small AI, Frugal Innovation, Digital Divide, Technology Adoption, Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Tmari Belgacm
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