Artificial intelligence and high-quality development of enterprises: empirical evidence from national pilot zones for new-generation artificial intelligence innovation and development

From the perspective of new quality productive forces, this paper explores the intrinsic mechanism of artificial intelligence (AI) to promote the high-quality development of enterprises. The study shows that AI has promoted the high-quality development of enterprises by driving innovation breakthroughs in technology, optimizing the allocation of production factors, and empowering corporate transformation. Meanwhile, the enabling effect of AI is more evident insmall and medium enterprises and service enterprises, reflecting its unique advantages in bridging the “development gap” and alleviating “Baumol’s cost disease”. Besides, AI can help reshape the geographic distribution of enterprisesand expand the geographic coverage of subsidiaries while increasing the speed of their off-site expansion.