AI-HI collaboration, knowledge creation and organizational technology commercialization

Purpose With the unprecedented advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), its integration into corporate operations has become an irreversible trend. The purpose of this study, from the perspective of knowledge creation, is to explore the relationship between AI–human intelligence (AI–HI) collaboration and firms’ technology commercialization, aiming to identify the mechanisms through which AI–HI collaboration can enhance technology commercialization in the current AI-driven context. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected through a questionnaire survey. To mitigate the potential risk of common method bias, a two-wave data collection design was adopted. Hierarchical Linear Analysis was subsequently used to test the proposed research hypotheses. Findings Based on samples obtained from the two-wave survey, empirical analysis reveals that both AI–HI collaboration and knowledge creation exert a significant positive impact on technology commercialization. Importantly, knowledge creation plays a mediating role in the relationship between AI–HI collaboration and technology commercialization. Furthermore, managers’ AI-related knowledge background positively moderates the effect of AI–HI collaboration on knowledge creation. Originality/value First, grounded in socio-technical theory, this study clarifies the influence mechanism of AI–HI collaboration on firms’ technology commercialization, thereby deepening the academic understanding of effective strategies for promoting technology commercialization in the AI era. Second, drawing on knowledge management theory, this study elaborates on the indirect pathway through which AI–HI collaboration affects technology commercialization, with knowledge creation serving as the core mediating link. Finally, this study identifies two contextual factors – managers’ AI knowledge background and organizational digital culture – and examines their moderating effects on the relationship between AI–HI collaboration and knowledge creation.