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This study aims to investigate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to vertical farms to evaluate whether disrupting technology supports sustainability and increases strategic business model choices in the agricultural sector. The study responds through empirical analysis to the gap on the subject of AI-driven business models present in the growing sector literature.

The paper analyzes the case of “ZERO”, a company linked to the strategy innovation ecosystem of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy. The empirical data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, interviews and the analysis of public news on the business model available in the analyzed case study. The research is empirical and uses exploratory, descriptive analysis to interpret the findings. The article focuses on the evaluation of AI impact on the agricultural sector and its potential to create new business models.

The study identified how AI can support the decision-making process leading to an increase in productivity, efficiency, product quality and cost reduction. AI helps increase these parameters through a continuous learning process and local production, and the possible decrease in prices directed toward the goal of zero km food with fresh products. AI is a winning technology to support the key elements of the vertical farm business model. However, it must be coupled with other devices, such as robots, sensors and drones, to collect enough data to enable continuous learning and improvement.

The research supports new research trends in AI applied to agriculture. The major implication is the construction of ecosystems between farms, technology providers, policymakers, universities, research centers and local consumer communities.

The ZERO case study underlines the potential of AI as a destructive technology that, especially in vertical farms, eliminates external conditions by increasing productivity, reducing costs and responding to production needs with adequate consumption of raw materials, boosting both environmental and social sustainability.

The study is original, as the current literature presents few empirical case studies on AI-supporting business models in agriculture. The study also favors valuable strategic implications for the policies to be adopted in favor of new business models in agriculture.

The study aims to investigate virtual relational capital (VRC) to evaluate to what extent virtual relations (VR), obtained by using new technologies, support the development of firms, also considering the increasing sustainability’s needs. The study addresses the literature gap on VRC dynamics through an empirical analysis.

The investigation focuses on a single case study in the lighting industry, deepening the case of a small Italian company. The case is analyzed through the lens of the CAOS framework model by Paoloni, nurtured through direct semi-structured interviews with the entrepreneur and some managers and consultants, and data collected via web scraping.

VRC, obtained by the use of new technological tools, contributes to developing and fostering the innovation ecosystem in which companies need to create new skills and synergic alliances with other stakeholders. Moreover, VR can improve commercial and sales performance, stakeholder engagement and sustainability, including alignment with the circular economy and waste management principles. VRC can support smaller companies with more limited resources to connect to a broader range of actors, raising their voices with policymakers and other relevant international institutions.

The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of VRC, especially in an era in which new technologies play a fundamental role for both businesses and people. It also provides practical insights into how companies, especially smaller ones, can maximize their sustainable impact by strategically adopting virtual interactions with meaningful stakeholders like customers, key executive partners, industrial associations and policymakers.