Outsourcing emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) are expected to impact organisations significantly, due to a tight labour market for AI expertise. However, how formal and relational governance effects Information Systems suppliers who provide AI services has not been studied. Based on an exploratory research amongst eight suppliers and two market research advisors, we conducted 18 expert interviews and found evidence how formal contractual and relational governance affects AI outsourcing. The results indicate various forms of contractual models in which some cater for clients’ needs specifically, e.g. outcome-based, experience-driven Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Our examination provides insights that formal and relational Information Systems (IS) outsourcing governance are complementary in cases where clients and suppliers co-develop AI. For our research, we adapted the outsourcing governance model of Lioliou et al. (Inf Syst J 24:503–535, 2014), including their emphasis on the psychological contract. We contribute to IS outsourcing literature by exploring, beyond contract management insights, differences between suppliers in providing AI services. Our study acknowledges that AI outsourcing shift the emphasis from a transactional type of arrangement to a relational type of outsourcing arrangement. In addition, the combination of both formal and relational governance mechanisms positively contributes to IS governance. Our study also confirms that the innovative character of AI positively contributes to the psychological contract in outsourcing AI.

由于人工智能专业人才的劳动力市场紧张，人工智能 (AI) 等新兴技术的外包预计将对组织产生重大影响。但是，尚未研究正式和关系治理如何影响提供 AI 服务的信息系统供应商。基于对八家供应商和两名市场研究顾问的探索性研究，我们进行了 18 次专家访谈，并发现了正式的合同和关系治理如何影响人工智能外包的证据。结果表明了各种形式的合同模型，其中一些专门满足客户的需求，例如基于结果的、以经验为导向的服务水平协议 (SLA)。我们的研究表明，在客户和供应商共同开发人工智能的情况下，正式和关系信息系统 (IS) 外包治理是互补的。在我们的研究中，我们采用了 Lioliou 等人的外包治理模型。(Inf Syst J 24:503–535, 2014)，包括他们对心理契约的强调。除了合同管理见解之外，我们还通过探索供应商之间在提供人工智能服务方面的差异来为 IS 外包文献做出贡献。我们的研究承认，人工智能外包将重点从交易型安排转移到关系型外包安排。此外，正式和关系治理机制的结合对信息系统治理有积极的贡献。