Impact of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in the management of information systems: A Statistical Study of Key Factors for Improving the Productivity of Industries, Enterprises and Organisations in Cameroon

Big Data and artificial intelligence (AI) are two technologies that, in the Cameroonian context, are struggling to assert themselves due to various factors. However, in the era of Industry 4.0, these technologies appear essential, particularly in the management of information systems and business processes. The main objective of this study was to explore the opportunities offered by Big Data and artificial intelligence to improve business processes and decision-making, while identifying the technical and organizational challenges related to the adoption of these technologies. To achieve this objective, we used, on the one hand, a hypothetico-deductive approach coupled with an exploration of the available literature, and on the other hand, the Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression to test the validity, robustness and predictive nature of the designed model and the formulated hypotheses. The results were obtained based on a sample of 30 companies classified by sector of activity, having respectively the status of SARL, SA, LTD and PLC, revealing that Big Data and AI, although not widespread in Cameroonian companies, have a significant impact on the optimization of decision-making, thus contributing to improving the personnel management, customers and prospects, while fostering the spirit of innovation. Furthermore, the adoption of these technologies is hampered by a large number of factors, including the lack of adequate infrastructure, insufficient good cybersecurity practices, the lack of employee skills and the high cost of training in Big Data and AI, not to mention the lack of real support from the public authorities towards companies; which contributes to accentuating Cameroon's technological backwardness. Based on these results, we have formulated some recommendations for companies and the Cameroonian State.