On the morning of May 21, 2026, the 166th session of the "Jingshi Economics & Management · Expert Forum  Lecture Series" was held in Conference Room 1722 of the Rear Main Building. BNUBS invited Professor Ge Chunmian from South China University of Technology to deliver a lecture themed How Artificial Intelligence Affects the Innovation Performance of Enterprises with Different Technological Statuses. The event was presided over by Professor Zhou Jianghua, Associate Dean of BNUBS, and attended by more than 40 faculty members and students.

At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Zhou Jianghua gave a detailed introduction to Professor Ge Chunmian’s academic background and research achievements, and extended a warm welcome to him. Professor Ge Chunmian is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Business Administration, South China University of Technology. He earned his doctoral degree from the National University of Singapore and is a CFA charterholder. His research has been supported by high-level talent programs at national and Guangdong provincial levels, including the National Outstanding Youth Fund and the Pearl River Distinguished Professor Program. He has long dedicated his research to fields such as tech human resource management, innovation management and information systems. His works have been published in authoritative domestic and international journals including Strategic Management Journal, Management Science and Management World, enjoying extensive academic influence.

Professor Ge first shared his insights into how artificial intelligence impacts corporate innovation. He pointed out that AI is profoundly reshaping corporate innovation models and the competitive landscape, yet notable disparities exist among enterprises in terms of AI application and innovation benefits. Afterwards, he elaborated on relevant research conducted by his team. From the dual perspectives of automation effect and augmentation effect, his team constructed AI application indicators based on over 3 million job advertisement data of China’s A-share listed companies from 2017 to 2023, and systematically examined the mechanism of AI’s influence on the innovation performance of enterprises with different technological statuses. The research finds that AI application can significantly improve corporate innovation performance and substantially narrow the innovation gap between enterprises, primarily by boosting the innovation output of technologically backward firms. Mechanism analysis reveals that AI drives innovation performance improvement in two ways: it enhances enterprises’ integration capability via process automation, and facilitates coupling with emerging technologies through cognitive augmentation. Further extended analysis shows that AI exerts a more prominent promoting effect on the exploitative innovation of technologically backward enterprises. In other words, AI does not mainly drive breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies. Instead, it effectively bridges the innovation gap by strengthening the capacity of underdeveloped enterprises to integrate and optimize existing technologies.

Professor Ge’s research provides new empirical evidence and theoretical implications for understanding how AI empowers corporate innovation and reshapes competition, and offers valuable references for enterprises’ digital transformation, innovation strategy formulation and relevant policy design. His sharing aroused great interest among the audience. Teachers and students raised active questions concerning AI spillover effects, AI adoption by different enterprises and the inclusiveness of AI technologies, to which Professor Ge gave detailed answers one by one. In his concluding remarks, Associate Dean Zhou Jianghua noted that the lecture closely followed the frontiers of the digital economy and corporate innovation, featuring profound theoretical value and practical significance. It offered new ideas and approaches for faculty and students to carry out interdisciplinary research on artificial intelligence and management.

The 166th Expert Forum Lecture Series concluded successfully amid warm applause. This event has further enriched the academic exchange atmosphere of BNUBS, helping teachers and students broaden research horizons and improve research capabilities.

Contributed by Academic Practice Department of the Graduate Student Union

Edited by Sun Yue

Reviewed by Hu Conghui