Is artificial intelligence associated with carbon emissions reduction? Case of China

With the rapid development of modern information technology, the widespread application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has had an increasingly critical impact on China's industrial development in recent years. However, few research focuses on the impact of AI development on China's carbon emissions (CEs). Using a data set of 30 Chinese provinces during the period 2006–2019, this study investigates the impact of AI development on CEs and explore potential influencing mechanisms via spatial Durbin model (SDM). It shows that AI development effectively contributes to CEs reduction and the reduction effect remains consistent over varied spatial weights. In terms of the mechanism analysis, technique and structure effects of AI reduce CEs. The heterogeneity analysis reveals that AI reduces CEs through spatial spillover effect with the effect being stronger in central and western China. Finally, based on the findings of this study, some recommendations are provided to promote the development of AI in China and the reduction of CEs.