Does artificial intelligence contribute to soliciting trade credit?

Within the global economic landscape, financial stability and economic fluctuations are crucial factors influencing global economic health. Credit discrimination leads to uneven distribution of credit resources. Against the backdrop of imperfect global financial markets and widespread credit discrimination, trade credit serves as a significant informal financing channel that alleviates corporate financing constraints. However, existing literature on how corporate technological transformation affects the supply of trade credit is limited. This study, based on data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2023, explores the relationship between corporate artificial intelligence (AI) and trade credit. The research finds that AI significantly enhance the scale of trade credit financing for enterprises, a conclusion robustly supported through a series of robustness and endogeneity tests. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that this effect is more pronounced in larger-scale enterprises, those belonging to high-tech industries, and those facing stronger financing constraints. Mechanism tests demonstrate that AI enhance trade credit acquisition capabilities by improving corporate operational stability and enhancing information disclosure quality. The moderation analysis indicates that supply chain concentration and the degree of marketization positively moderate the relationship between AI adoption and trade credit. This study not only expands the discussion on the economic consequences of AI, but also enriches the research on factors influencing corporate trade credit financing, providing policy insights for financing strategies of enterprises in emerging market countries during the AI development process.