Digital horizons, green futures: How does new-generation artificial intelligence pilot zone drive corporate low-carbon transformation?

Huiru Wei, Jie Zhang and Kuiran Yuan

Journal of Asian Economics, 2025, vol. 100, issue C

Abstract: With the arrival of a technological revolution, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a pivotal driver of societal and economic change, providing fresh momentum for firms to achieve sustainable development. This study uses the New-generation AI Innovation and Development Pilot Zone (NGAIPZ) as a quasi-natural experiment, utilizing data from Chinese A-share listed companies to examine whether AI contributes to corporate low-carbon transformation of firms. The results indicate that the NGAIPZ significantly reduces corporate carbon emissions (CE), and the conclusion remains robust after a series of robustness checks. Mechanism analysis reveals that the NGAIPZ primarily reduces corporate CE by improving capacity utilization, optimizing labor structure, and enhancing management efficiency and innovation capabilities. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the NGAIPZ reduced CE in state-owned, low-pollution, and labor- and technology-intensive firms. This study provides crucial insights for firms to explore synergistic pathways integrating intelligentization and greening under the NGAIPZ framework.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Technological change; Low-carbon transformation; Climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:asieco:v:100:y:2025:i:c:s1049007825001241

DOI: 10.1016/j.asieco.2025.102000

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