Spatial interaction effects of population mobility on the development of urban artificial intelligence industries: A multidimensional test based on the spatial Durbin model

As a vital carrier of the cross-regional reallocation of labour, knowledge, and innovation resources, population mobility plays a key role in shaping the spatial evolution of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. Drawing on the analytical frameworks of new economic geography, regional innovation system theory, and intergovernmental competition game theory, this study uses panel data from 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2019 to 2023 to empirically identify spatial spillover effects and the evolving patterns between population mobility and AI industry by employing the spatial Durbin model (SDM). Additionally, a two-regime SDM is applied to reveal the asymmetric interactions among heterogeneous cities. The findings show that population mobility significantly promotes local AI industry development while exerting a negative spatial spillover effect on neighbouring regions. Moreover, this effect exhibits an inverted U-shaped nonlinear pattern as geographic distance increases. Cities with high and low population mobility also display distinct sensitivities to external influences. This study provides theoretical insights and empirical evidence for promoting balanced regional development and high-quality growth in the AI industry.