Mutual Enhancement: Human–AI Collaboration and Corporate Carbon Emission Performance

Effective collaboration between artificial intelligence and human capital has become an important organizational foundation for improving corporate carbon emissions. Drawing on socio-technical systems theory, we examine the effect of human–AI collaboration on carbon emissions performance and its moderating effects using Chinese A-share listed firms from 2011 to 2023. The results show that human–AI collaboration is positively associated with corporate carbon emissions performance, suggesting that the combination of artificial intelligence capabilities and human managerial judgment is related to improved emissions efficiency. Executives’ green awareness positively moderates the relationship, whereas digital transformation weakens this relationship. In addition, the positive effect is more pronounced among non-state-owned firms, high-tech firms, and firms operating in less competitive markets. From a socio-technical coordination perspective, our study extends research on the environmental performance implications of human–AI collaboration, advances strategy research on resource orchestration in carbon-constrained markets, and provides theoretical foundations and practical guidance for firms navigating the dual digital and green transformation.