Abstract:
In highly complex modern supply chains, if the diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) technology cannot be coordinated and synchronized, a supply chain AI divide will emerge. Using a sample of A-share companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, this study finds that the supply chain AI divide has a dual effect on firms' total factor productivity (TFP): on the one hand, it drives the transformation and upgrading of relatively lagging firms through a spillover effect; on the other hand, it constrains the improvement of relatively leading firms' TFP through a weakest-link effect. At present, the weakest-link effect of the supply chain AI divide is fairly prominent, suppressing the improvement of supply chain firms' TFP by reducing supply chain resilience and intensifying resource asymmetry along the chain. We recommend that firms: first, actively enhance the flexibility of internal decision-making, raise the level of AI application, and promote the alignment of technological interfaces across upstream and downstream firms; second, attach importance to building supply chain stability by strengthening long-term cooperation with core suppliers and key customers to form stable transaction mechanisms and information-sharing mechanisms; and third, actively advance modularization strategies by decomposing complex production-collaboration processes into relatively independent business units, thereby reducing dependence on the technological capabilities of any single node. This study broadens the research boundaries of the digital divide concept in the AI era and provides useful reference for promoting the shift of AI technology from single-point empowerment to chain-wide empowerment and for fostering the coordinated development of supply chains.
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