The Effect of New Quality Productivity Technological Innovation on ESG Performance: The Moderating Role of Human-AI Collaboration

The Effect of New Quality Productivity Technological Innovation on ESG Performance: The Moderating Role of Human-AI Collaboration | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Effect of New Quality Productivity Technological Innovation on ESG Performance: The Moderating Role of Human-AI Collaboration Jun Cui This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6374810/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the relationship between new quality productivity technological innovation and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in Chinese listed companies, with a specific focus on how human-AI collaboration moderates this relationship. Using panel data from 11,500 firm-year observations collected from CNRDS and CSMAR databases spanning from 2012 to 2022, we employ fixed-effects models to examine these relationships. Our findings reveal that technological innovation positively influences ESG performance, and this relationship is significantly strengthened when firms effectively implement human-AI collaborative frameworks. The positive moderating effect is particularly pronounced in the environmental and social dimensions of ESG. Additionally, our further analysis through mechanism tests suggests that this enhancement occurs through improved operational efficiency, increased information transparency, and enhanced decision-making processes. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the effect varies across firm ownership types, industry classifications, and firm sizes. Our findings contribute to the literature on technology-driven sustainability and provide practical implications for managers seeking to leverage technological innovation and human-AI synergies to enhance corporate sustainability performance. Technological innovation ESG performance Human-AI collaboration Chinese listed companies Panel data analysis Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6374810","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":438362508,"identity":"ff9749d0-b124-4fc2-90c6-28cf31dc7f69","order_by":0,"name":"Jun Cui","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9693-9145","institution":"solbridge international School of Business","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jun","middleName":"","lastName":"Cui","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-04 09:16:52","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6374810/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6374810/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":80239437,"identity":"31543a76-bcbc-4e1c-819f-6e3d488e7ecb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-09 14:33:43","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":283736,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ESCISamplePaperNewQualityProductivity1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6374810/v1_covered_459748bf-3f2e-4187-bd3e-ce59f5e5bcac.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eThe Effect of New Quality Productivity Technological Innovation on ESG Performance: The Moderating Role of Human-AI Collaboration\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":" Technological innovation, ESG performance, Human-AI collaboration, Chinese listed companies, Panel data analysis","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6374810/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6374810/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study investigates the relationship between new quality productivity technological innovation and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in Chinese listed companies, with a specific focus on how human-AI collaboration moderates this relationship. 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