Yong Zhou, Wei Bu
In the context of global decarbonization and digital transformation, this study investigates whether and how the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) promotes corporate energy transition, as measured by firms’ total energy consumption, energy intensity, and carbon emission intensity. Drawing on the theories of general-purpose technology (GPT), the resource-based view (RBV), and dynamic capabilities, the paper conceptualizes AI as a production-embedded technological capability that enhances intelligent automation, energy monitoring, and resource coordination within firms. Using panel data on Chinese A-share listed firms from 2012 to 2024, and capturing AI adoption through observable changes in firms’ production-related capital intensity, the analysis employs firm- and year-fixed effects, instrumental variables, and a dynamic event-study design to address endogeneity and temporal dynamics. The results show that AI adoption reduces firms’ energy consumption by approximately 2.0%, energy intensity by 1.8%, and carbon emission intensity by 2.3% within two to three years after adoption. Mechanism tests indicate that green innovation, operational efficiency, and resource allocation efficiency mediate this effect. Heterogeneity analyses reveal more substantial effects among non-state, large-scale, and technology-intensive firms operating in highly marketized regions. The findings broaden understanding of AI as a strategic sustainability technology and provide actionable implications for policymakers to align digital and energy governance to achieve carbon neutrality goals.