Mechanisms and Effects of Artificial Intelligence on New Quality Productive Forces in New Energy Vehicle Firms: Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta

Xinrui Li; Linhu Du

doi:10.62051/ijgem.v10n5.06

Authors

Xinrui Li
Linhu Du

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62051/ijgem.v10n5.06

Keywords:

Artificial intelligence, New quality productive forces, New energy vehicle firms, Yangtze River Delta, Mediation mechanism

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is increasingly recognized as an important driver of firms’ new quality productive forces. Based on panel data of new energy vehicle firms in the Yangtze River Delta from 2001 to 2023, this paper constructs firm-level indicators of artificial intelligence and new quality productive forces, and examines the impact of artificial intelligence on the new quality productive forces of new energy vehicle firms and its underlying mechanisms. The results show that artificial intelligence significantly promotes the growth of new quality productive forces in new energy vehicle firms, and this conclusion remains robust after addressing endogeneity concerns and conducting robustness checks. In addition, R&D expenditure does not constitute a significant mediating channel, although its negative path coefficient suggests a possible short-term adjustment effect. This indicates that the expansion of R&D funds does not necessarily translate immediately into improvements in firms’ new quality productive forces. Heterogeneity tests show that the promoting effect of artificial intelligence is more pronounced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and among small-sized enterprises. Mechanism tests provide empirical evidence that artificial intelligence affects firms’ new quality productive forces through the optimization of R&D personnel structure and the improvement of innovation output.

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