Digital Trade and Enterprise Artificial Intelligence

In the context of the rapid development of the digital economy, the relationship between digital trade and corporate artificial intelligence has become an important topic of concern in both academic and practical circles. Based on data from Chinese listed companies, this paper empirically examines the impact of digital trade on the development of corporate AI and its mechanism of action, using a fixed-effects model and mediation effect analysis. Several conclusions can be drawn from this work: results demonstrate that digital trade significantly affects the application of corporate AI, which is realized through a dual mediation path of enhancing market position and reducing transaction costs. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that technology-intensive enterprises and enterprises in the eastern region benefit more prominently, while robustness checks further verify the reliability of the research conclusions. This study not only enriches the theoretical connotation of the microeconomic effects of digital trade but also provides practical references for the government to formulate policies for the development of the digital economy and for enterprises to optimize their AI strategies.