Toward Intelligent ERPs: A Bibliometric Perspective

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are undergoing a fundamental transformation that is fueled by the integration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics and other Industry 4.0 technologies. This shift has led to what is increasingly referred in the literature as intelligent ERP (iERP) systems. Despite the growing interest in both academic research and practice, the literature remains fragmented and dispersed across technological, organizational and managerial perspectives, reflecting its inherently complex and interdisciplinary nature. In this paper we present a PRISMA-guided bibliometric analysis that was applied to map the evolution of iERP research over the last decade (2015-2025). We performed a bibliometric analysis on a compiled dataset of publications from the Web of Science Core Collection. VOSviewer and the Bibliometrix R package were utilized to help us gain insights into the structure and latest developments of the field. Using this approach, we prevailed to identify major research thematic directions, key publication patterns, and top contributing regions and institutions. The paper also highlights the main technological and organizational dimensions of iERP systems. The study contributes to the existing literature by structuring a fragmented body of work, defining key research perspectives and providing a foundation for understanding current directions in iERP systems research.