Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an important engine of the new quality productivity. AI adoption is of great significance for manufacturing enterprises to build dynamic capabilities and thereby enhance the new quality productivity. However, few studies have deeply analyzed the mechanism of AI adoption acting on the new quality productivity of manufacturing enterprises from the perspective of dynamic capabilities. Therefore, this paper, based on the theory of dynamic capabilities, uses the data of manufacturing enterprises listed on China’s A-share market from 2015 to 2021 to empirically analyze the impact of AI adoption on the new quality productivity of manufacturing enterprises, and examines the mediating role of the different dimensions of dynamic capabilities and the moderating role of market competition intensity. The research findings are as follows: (1) Al adoption significantly and positively enhances the new quality productivity level of manufacturing enterprises, with the results remaining robust after multiple robustness tests; (2) Dynamic capabilities mediate the relationship between AI adoption and the new quality productivity of manufacturing enterprises; (3) Market competition intensity plays positive moderating roles among AI adoption and the new quality productivity of manufacturing enterprises；(4) Market competition intensity exerts differential moderating effects: it positively moderates the association between innovation capability and the new quality productivity in manufacturing enterprises, negatively moderates the relationship between absorptive capacity and the new quality productivity in manufacturing enterprises, while demonstrating no significant moderating effect on the linkage between adaptive capability and new quality productivity. The research findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms through which AI influences new quality productive forces in manufacturing enterprises, extend the theoretical exploration of dynamic capability into AI-driven contexts, deepen the understanding of the boundaries of different dynamic capability dimensions, and enrich the antecedent research on the new quality productivity of manufacturing enterprises. Furthermore, this study offers actionable strategies for Chinese manufacturing enterprises to cultivate and enhance their new quality productive forces.

Key words: AI adoption, new quality productivity, dynamic capabilities, market competition intensity, manufacturing enterprises