Panel Talk and Two Paper Presentations at the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) 2025

The 46th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) will take place 14–17 December 2025 in Nashville, TN, USA, under the theme “Achieving Digital Integration in the Age of AI”. 

The conference program is available on the ICIS 2025 website under https://icis2025.aisconferences.org/program/schedule-program/

Panel: AI and Synthetic Data Use in Healthcare: A Mixed Blessing?

Conference Day 1 – Monday, 15 December – 16.30-18.00 – Panel Session

Panelists: Abhay Mishra, Jennifer Claggett, Ali Sunyaev, Monica Tremblay, Xitong Guo

Abstract: This panel aims to debate and discuss two important aspects related to synthetic data creation, use and impact in healthcare. On the one hand, synthetic data presents significant opportunities to transform healthcare. On the other hand, it is critical that synthetic data reflect patient conditions accurately and protect patient privacy. The panel assembles five experienced healthcare researchers and thought leaders from all three AIS regions to discuss three specific issues: how can synthetic data represent actual patient conditions; how can synthetic data be validated to enhance trustworthiness, and when it should not be used; and how can privacy risks and potential harms to individuals be curtailed. We call on the information systems community to advance methods and develop frameworks to assess the creation, use and impact of synthetic data in healthcare. We also urge this community to engage with practitioners and policymakers to inform synthetic data use policies and practices. 

Link to paper: https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/panels/panels/3/

Complete Research Paper: Creating Business Value through Fog-based Information Systems

Conference Day 2 – Tuesday, 16 December – 08.15-09.45 – Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Authors: Yannick Heß, Maximilian Blume, Sebastian Lins, Ali Sunyaev

Abstract: Fog-based information systems (FBIS) offer local data processing services to organizations, promising reduced latency, bandwidth conservation, and real-time data processing. However, organizations remain uncertain about how to leverage FBIS’ capabilities to create value. Bridging technical- and application-driven research streams, we investigate how organizations can leverage FBIS to create business value. Employing a qualitative and inductive approach grounded in value creation literature, we synthesize insights from 59 articles, 13 expert interviews, and 29 real-world FBIS. We identify five infrastructure properties, five organizational fog capabilities, and seven business value targets. Most notably, we uncover four FBIS value creation mechanisms with eleven variants explaining how specific combinations of capabilities and properties lead to distinct value outcomes. Our study refines the current understanding of FBIS’ capabilities, resolves inconsistent views on achieving business value, and provides theoretical and practical guidance for value-oriented adoption of fog computing in organizational contexts.

Link to paper: https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/diginnoventren/diginnoventren/15/

Complete Research Paper: Agents of Change: The Role of Healthcare Professionals in Digital Innovation Initiation

Conference Day 2 – Tuesday, 16 December – 16.00-17.30 – General IS Topics

Authors: Richard Guse, Philipp Danylak, Long Hoang Nguyen, Scott Thiebes, Sebastian Lins, Ali Sunyaev

Abstract: Digital innovation (DI) in healthcare organizations is typically conceptualized as a process initiated by management. However, the potential of frontline employees like healthcare professionals to drive DI remains overlooked. This study aims to uncover how healthcare organizations enable employee-driven DI and examines which contingency factors determine its successful initiation. By drawing on 16 semi-structured interviews with physicians, management, and IT staff in different hospitals in Central Europe and utilizing grounded theory techniques, we reveal that hospitals involve healthcare professionals in DI initiation via various initiation paths (i.e., structures, actions, or roles that explicitly support DI initiation). We uncover that the success of these initiation paths depends on various contingency factors, including organizational resources, team climate, and clear roles. Overall, this study contributes to DI research by clarifying mechanisms that lead to the successful initiation of DI in healthcare organizations

Link to paper: aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/general_topic/general_topic/11/

If you have any questions or would like to meet at the conference, please contact Ali Sunyaev, Richard Guse, or Yannick Heß.