Explore of Innovation on Green ESG Performance in Chinese High Tech Enterprises: Moderating Effects of AI-Driven Digital Transformation

Explore of Innovation on Green ESG Performance in Chinese High Tech Enterprises: Moderating Effects of AI-Driven Digital Transformation | 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 Explore of Innovation on Green ESG Performance in Chinese High Tech Enterprises: Moderating Effects of AI-Driven Digital Transformation Jun Cui This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6632515/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 examines the relationship between innovation capabilities and green environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in Chinese high-tech enterprises, with a particular focus on how AI-driven digital transformation moderates this relationship. Using panel data from 5,900 firm-year observations collected from CNRDS, Wind, and CSMAR databases between 2015 and 2022, we employ a fixed-effects model to test our hypotheses. Our findings reveal that innovation capabilities significantly enhance green ESG performance, and this relationship is positively moderated by AI-driven digital transformation. Firms with higher levels of AI implementation demonstrate a stronger positive relationship between innovation and green performance. The results remain robust across multiple specifications, addressing endogeneity concerns through instrumental variable approaches and propensity score matching. Our study contributes to the literature on sustainable development and digital transformation in emerging economies by providing empirical evidence on how next-generation productive forces facilitated by AI technologies can accelerate environmental sustainability in China's high-tech sector. Innovation capabilities green ESG performance AI-driven digital transformation Chinese high-tech enterprises emerging economies next-generation productive forces. 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. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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-6632515","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":454571784,"identity":"ab0f4623-8c2a-4438-8e7a-dcd10757fed9","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":"2025-05-10 05:11:11","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-6632515/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6632515/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82573711,"identity":"02e4db10-057e-479b-815d-4dc86717bc83","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-13 04:57:36","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":284358,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"HumanAIAIDriveDigitalNFPCScholarSample3preprint.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6632515/v1_covered_e3fcdc15-dd8d-4e15-94cf-0573c4d1cd6e.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eExplore of Innovation on Green ESG Performance in Chinese High Tech Enterprises: Moderating Effects of AI-Driven Digital Transformation\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Woosong University","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":"Innovation capabilities, green ESG performance, AI-driven digital transformation, Chinese high-tech enterprises, emerging economies, next-generation productive forces.","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6632515/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6632515/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study examines the relationship between innovation capabilities and green environmental, \u0026nbsp;social, and governance (ESG) performance in Chinese high-tech enterprises, with a particular focus \u0026nbsp;on how AI-driven digital transformation moderates this relationship. Using panel data from 5,900 \u0026nbsp;firm-year observations collected from CNRDS, Wind, and CSMAR databases between 2015 and \u0026nbsp;2022, we employ a fixed-effects model to test our hypotheses. Our findings reveal that innovation \u0026nbsp;capabilities significantly enhance green ESG performance, and this relationship is positively \u0026nbsp;moderated by AI-driven digital transformation. Firms with higher levels of AI implementation \u0026nbsp;demonstrate a stronger positive relationship between innovation and green performance. The results \u0026nbsp;remain robust across multiple specifications, addressing endogeneity concerns through \u0026nbsp;instrumental variable approaches and propensity score matching. Our study contributes to the \u0026nbsp;literature on sustainable development and digital transformation in emerging economies by \u0026nbsp;providing empirical evidence on how next-generation productive forces facilitated by AI \u0026nbsp;technologies can accelerate environmental sustainability in China's high-tech sector.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Explore of Innovation on Green ESG Performance in Chinese High Tech Enterprises: Moderating Effects of AI-Driven Digital Transformation","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-13 04:49:29","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6632515/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","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}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"af0e4e86-58ab-4f21-9c6a-fcb3ca44c731","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 13th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-05-13T04:49:30+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-13 04:49:29","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6632515","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6632515","identity":"rs-6632515","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}