AI-Driven Urban Energy Efficiency Revolution

This chapter is grounded in the interactive logic between urban economies and energy systems and employs data from 282 Chinese cities spanning 2006 to 2019 to assess the impact of AI on urban EE. The findings indicate that AI significantly enhances urban EE. Further analysis reveals heterogeneity in this relationship across different city types: the positive effect of AI on EE is particularly pronounced in resource-dependent cities, cities in the eastern and central regions, those located north of the Qinling–Huaihe Line, as well as megacities and super-large cities. Moreover, the study demonstrates a positive spatial spillover effect, whereby improvements in EE within a focal city are reinforced by the diffusion of AI applications from neighboring cities.