Yunlu Cai

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
Artificial intelligence is increasingly embedded in pharmaceutical sales, but evidence remains limited on how AI adoption translates into performance in compliance-sensitive sales contexts. This study aims to examine whether perceived organizational AI adoption is associated with perceived organizational performance in pharmaceutical sales through two parallel pathways: operational efficiency and employee motivation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 335 pharmaceutical sales professionals in China from October 2025 to November 2025. Respondents were recruited through purposive sampling via professional networks, WeChat workgroups, industry forums, and sales-related communities because they had direct experience using AI tools in daily sales-related activities. The sample covered prescription drug sales, OTC/channel sales, hospital/institutional sales, key account/market access roles, and sales or marketing management. The data were analyzed using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4 with 10,000 bootstrap resamples. The results show that AI adoption is positively associated with perceived organizational performance (β = 0.196, t = 3.383, p = 0.001), operational efficiency (β = 0.459, t = 7.611, p < 0.001), and employee motivation (β = 0.385, t = 6.748, p < 0.001). Operational efficiency (β = 0.212, t = 3.355, p = 0.001) and employee motivation (β = 0.230, t = 3.879, p < 0.001) are positively associated with performance. Mediation tests confirm significant indirect effects through operational efficiency (β = 0.097, p = 0.003) and employee motivation (β = 0.089, p = 0.001), indicating partial mediation. The findings suggest that AI creates performance value when embedded in sales workflows and accompanied by motivational support.