The influence of AI application on carbon emission intensity of industrial enterprises in China

Abstract As a critical aspect of the industry 4.0 era, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) is significant to environmental governance. It serves as a crucial driving force in assisting enterprises in the transition toward low-carbon practices. This paper examines China’s A-share industri...

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Main Authors: Yao Lu, ZeFang Liao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97110-3
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author Yao Lu
ZeFang Liao
author_facet Yao Lu
ZeFang Liao
author_sort Yao Lu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract As a critical aspect of the industry 4.0 era, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) is significant to environmental governance. It serves as a crucial driving force in assisting enterprises in the transition toward low-carbon practices. This paper examines China’s A-share industrial enterprises from 2011 to 2022, constructs and trains a word vector model to extract AI-related terms, and the impact of AI applications on the carbon emission intensity of these enterprises is investigated. The findings reveal that enhancing the level of AI application can effectively decrease carbon emission intensity. Specifically, a 1% increase in AI application leads to a reduction of 0.0395% in carbon emission intensity. Further analysis indicates that enterprises can diminish their carbon emission intensity by the optimization of supply chain and green technology innovation. Heterogeneity analysis suggests that utilizing AI is beneficial for reducing the carbon emission intensity of manufacturing, high-tech, and high-pollution enterprises. The results of this study enrich the micro-level research on the relationship between AI and carbon emission intensity, offering valuable insights for enterprises aiming to achieve sustainable development.
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spelling doaj-art-c76b09e17dc945f190ae1e9d2ac0df552025-08-20T02:12:06ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-97110-3The influence of AI application on carbon emission intensity of industrial enterprises in ChinaYao Lu0ZeFang Liao1College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Ocean UniversityCollege of Economics and Management, Shanghai Ocean UniversityAbstract As a critical aspect of the industry 4.0 era, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) is significant to environmental governance. It serves as a crucial driving force in assisting enterprises in the transition toward low-carbon practices. This paper examines China’s A-share industrial enterprises from 2011 to 2022, constructs and trains a word vector model to extract AI-related terms, and the impact of AI applications on the carbon emission intensity of these enterprises is investigated. The findings reveal that enhancing the level of AI application can effectively decrease carbon emission intensity. Specifically, a 1% increase in AI application leads to a reduction of 0.0395% in carbon emission intensity. Further analysis indicates that enterprises can diminish their carbon emission intensity by the optimization of supply chain and green technology innovation. Heterogeneity analysis suggests that utilizing AI is beneficial for reducing the carbon emission intensity of manufacturing, high-tech, and high-pollution enterprises. The results of this study enrich the micro-level research on the relationship between AI and carbon emission intensity, offering valuable insights for enterprises aiming to achieve sustainable development.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97110-3AI applicationReduction of carbon emissionWord vector model
spellingShingle Yao Lu
ZeFang Liao
The influence of AI application on carbon emission intensity of industrial enterprises in China
Scientific Reports
AI application
Reduction of carbon emission
Word vector model
title The influence of AI application on carbon emission intensity of industrial enterprises in China
title_full The influence of AI application on carbon emission intensity of industrial enterprises in China
title_fullStr The influence of AI application on carbon emission intensity of industrial enterprises in China
title_full_unstemmed The influence of AI application on carbon emission intensity of industrial enterprises in China
title_short The influence of AI application on carbon emission intensity of industrial enterprises in China
title_sort influence of ai application on carbon emission intensity of industrial enterprises in china
topic AI application
Reduction of carbon emission
Word vector model
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97110-3
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