IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/2505.11558.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

AI-Driven Digital Transformation and Firm Performance in Chinese Industrial Enterprises: Mediating Role of Green Digital Innovation and Moderating Effects of Human-AI Collaboration

Author

Listed:
  • Jun Cui

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between AI-driven digital transformation and firm performance in Chinese industrial enterprises, with particular attention to the mediating role of green digital innovation and the moderating effects of human-AI collaboration. Using panel data from 6,300 firm-year observations collected from CNRDS and CSMAR databases between 2015 and 2022, we employ multiple regression analysis and structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. Our findings reveal that AI-driven digital transformation significantly enhances firm performance, with green digital innovation mediating this relationship. Furthermore, human-AI collaboration positively moderates both the direct relationship between digital transformation and firm performance and the mediating pathway through green digital innovation. The results provide valuable insights for management practice and policy formulation in the context of China's evolving industrial landscape and digital economy initiatives. This research contributes to the literature by integrating perspectives from technology management, environmental sustainability, and organizational theory to understand the complex interplay between technological adoption and business outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Jun Cui, 2025. "AI-Driven Digital Transformation and Firm Performance in Chinese Industrial Enterprises: Mediating Role of Green Digital Innovation and Moderating Effects of Human-AI Collaboration," Papers 2505.11558, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2505.11558
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/2505.11558
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David J. Teece & Gary Pisano & Amy Shuen, 1997. "Dynamic capabilities and strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 509-533, August.
    2. Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Hughes, Laurie & Ismagilova, Elvira & Aarts, Gert & Coombs, Crispin & Crick, Tom & Duan, Yanqing & Dwivedi, Rohita & Edwards, John & Eirug, Aled & Galanos, Vassilis & Ilavarasan, , 2021. "Artificial Intelligence (AI): Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    3. Lee, Sang M. & Trimi, Silvana, 2021. "Convergence innovation in the digital age and in the COVID-19 pandemic crisis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 14-22.
    4. Jun Cui, 2025. "Entrepreneurial Motivations and ESG Performance Evidence from Automobile Companies Listed on the Chinese Stock Exchange," Papers 2503.21828, arXiv.org.
    5. Wenhao Song & Hongyan Yu, 2018. "Green Innovation Strategy and Green Innovation: The Roles of Green Creativity and Green Organizational Identity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(2), pages 135-150, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Adomako, Samuel & Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Donbesuur, Francis & Ahsan, Mujtaba & Danso, Albert & Uddin, Moshfique, 2022. "Strategic agility of SMEs in emerging economies: Antecedents, consequences and boundary conditions," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6).
    2. Sheikh Farhan Ashraf & Cai Li & Muhammad Umair Wattoo & Majid Murad & Babak Mahmood, 2024. "Green horizons: Unleashing green innovation through green business strategies and competencies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(5), pages 4233-4251, July.
    3. Görkem Sariyer & Mustafa Gokalp Ataman & Sachin Kumar Mangla & Yigit Kazancoglu & Manoj Dora, 2023. "Big data analytics and the effects of government restrictions and prohibitions in the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency department sustainable operations," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 328(1), pages 1073-1103, September.
    4. Jun Cui, 2025. "Empirical Analysis of Digital Innovations Impact on Corporate ESG Performance: The Mediating Role of GAI Technology," Papers 2504.01041, arXiv.org.
    5. Awais, Minahil & Afzal, Ayesha & Firdousi, Saba & Hasnaoui, Amir, 2023. "Is fintech the new path to sustainable resource utilisation and economic development?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Modgil, Sachin & Gupta, Shivam & Kar, Arpan Kumar & Tuunanen, Tuure, 2025. "How could Generative AI support and add value to non-technology companies – A qualitative study," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    7. Maha Shehadeh & Ahmad Almohtaseb & Jehad Aldehayyat & Ibrahim A. Abu-AlSondos, 2023. "Digital Transformation and Competitive Advantage in the Service Sector: A Moderated-Mediation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-21, January.
    8. Tomas Santa‐Maria & Walter J. V. Vermeulen & Rupert J. Baumgartner, 2022. "How do incumbent firms innovate their business models for the circular economy? Identifying micro‐foundations of dynamic capabilities," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1308-1333, May.
    9. Shore, Adam & Tiwari, Manisha & Tandon, Priyanka & Foropon, Cyril, 2024. "Building entrepreneurial resilience during crisis using generative AI: An empirical study on SMEs," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    10. Pereira, Vijay & Nair, Asha KS. & Bhattacharyya, Som Sekhar, 2025. "Exploring and investigating the complementarity and multidimensionality of innovation for sustainability research: Past present and future," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    11. Hao, Xiaoli & Miao, Erxiang & Sun, Qingyu & Li, Ke & Wen, Shufang & Xue, Yan, 2024. "The impact of digital government on corporate green innovation: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    12. Akter, Shahriar & Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Sajib, Shahriar & Biswas, Kumar & Bandara, Ruwan J. & Michael, Katina, 2022. "Algorithmic bias in machine learning-based marketing models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 201-216.
    13. Maciel M. Queiroz & Samuel Fosso Wamba, 2024. "A structured literature review on the interplay between emerging technologies and COVID-19 – insights and directions to operations fields," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 335(3), pages 937-963, April.
    14. Samuel Adomako & Nguyen Phong Nguyen, 2023. "Green creativity, responsible innovation, and product innovation performance: A study of entrepreneurial firms in an emerging economy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4413-4425, November.
    15. Tanveer, Asif & Torres de Oliveira, Rui & Rizvi, Shaheer, 2024. "How sector fluidity (knowledge-intensiveness and innovation) shapes startups’ resilience during crises," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 22(C).
    16. Dwivedi, Yogesh K & Shareef, Mahmud A & Akram, Muhammad S & Bhatti, Zeeshan A & Rana, Nripendra P, 2022. "Examining the effects of enterprise social media on operational and social performance during environmental disruption," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    17. Lee, Min-Jae & Kim, Yanghee & Roh, Taewoo, 2024. "Exploring the role of digital servitization for green innovation: Absorptive capacity, transformative capacity, and environmental strategy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    18. Klöckner, Maximilian & Schmidt, Christoph G. & Wagner, Stephan M. & Swink, Morgan, 2023. "Firms’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    19. Dubey, Rameshwar & Bryde, David J. & Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Graham, Gary & Foropon, Cyril & Papadopoulos, Thanos, 2023. "Dynamic digital capabilities and supply chain resilience: The role of government effectiveness," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    20. Feng, Fangfang & Li, Junjun & Zhang, Feng & Sun, Jinghuan, 2024. "The impact of artificial intelligence on green innovation efficiency: Moderating role of dynamic capability," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2505.11558. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: arXiv administrators (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://arxiv.org/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.