More robots, more resilience? Intelligent technology innovation and urban economic resilience: Empirical evidence from China

Despite growing global economic uncertainty, the mechanisms through which intelligent technological innovations, including industrial robots, artificial intelligence and automation, shape urban economic resilience remain underexplored. This study examines the impact of industrial robot-related technological innovation on urban economic resilience using panel data from 256 Chinese cities between 2012 and 2022 and a two-way fixed effects model. The findings show that intelligent technological innovation significantly enhances urban economic resilience. Further analysis demonstrates that industrial structure upgrading plays a significant moderating role in this relationship. The heterogeneity analysis further reveals that cities with lower levels of human capital are better able to leverage technological innovation to strengthen economic resilience. These findings suggest that promoting technological innovation can enhance urban economic resilience by facilitating industrial transformation and upgrading. This study offers important policy insights for urban development and strategic industrial policymaking.