Research And Practice of Artificial Intelligence in Improving the Efficiency and Effect of Digital Communication of Intangible Cultural Heritage -- A Case Study of Yungang Culture

With the rapid development of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI), the digital communication of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) has entered a transformative stage. This study focuses on the case of Yungang Culture—a representative and ideologically rich form of Chinese traditional culture—to explore how AI empowers the effectiveness of digital ICH dissemination. Drawing on grounded theory and structural equation modeling (SEM), this research constructs and verifies a multidimensional model incorporating content ontology, communication agents, audience characteristics, and environmental context. A nationwide questionnaire survey (N = 321) was conducted, and SmartPLS and AMOS were used for empirical validation. Results reveal that audience cognition and understanding significantly mediate the relationship between influencing factors and behavioral engagement. Among the key variables, content quality and platform authority are shown to have the greatest influence on audience comprehension, while AI-enabled functions—such as personalized recommendation and multimedia adaptation—play an implicit but crucial role in optimizing communication pathways. The study not only enriches the theoretical landscape of digital cultural communication but also provides practical implications for AI-driven ICH dissemination strategies in China and beyond.