Artificial Intelligence Development and Urban Industrial Ecology in China: Quasi-Natural Experimental Evidence from National AI Innovation and Development Pilot Zones

This study uses a balanced panel dataset of 71 large and medium-sized Chinese cities from 2003 to 2023. The data integrate information from the China City Statistical Yearbook, China Statistical Yearbook on Environment, China Science and Technology Statistical Yearbook, Ministry of Science and Technology policy documents, and patent databases. Variables include the AI Pilot Zone indicator, an industrial ecological development index (12 sub-dimensions via the entropy method), and measures of urbanization, infrastructure, GDP, finance, R&D, industrial structure upgrading, green total factor energy efficiency, and green technological innovation.