Title: Multi‑dimensional Industry AI Penetration and Firm Network Advantage

Speaker: Zhi Yang (School of Management, Huazhong University of Science & Technology)

Time: 10:00 (Friday), October 23rd, 2026

Venue: Room 1008, Mingde Business Building (Zhongguancun Campus)

Language: Chinese/English

ABSTRACT:

The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies challenges the persistence of traditional network brokerage advantage. This study seeks to clarify how industry AI penetration reshapes the relationship between brokerage and firm performance. We develop an integrative framework that deconstructs industry AI penetration into two distinct dimensions: industry AI patent penetration and industry AI employee penetration. Leveraging a comprehensive dataset of patents and job postings from Chinese listed firms (2011–2023), our empirical analysis demonstrates that the impact of AI industry penetration on brokerage advantages varies fundamentally based on the attributes of the factors involved. In particular, industry AI patent penetration signifies the standardized diffusion of explicit knowledge and significantly attenuates brokerage advantages. Conversely, industry AI employee penetration reflects a reliance on scarce tacit knowledge or skill and significantly augments these advantages. Additionally, we also identify key moderating roles of small-worldness: high firm local clustering effectively buffers the erosion of advantages due to industry AI patent penetration, whereas short network path lengths further magnify the gains from industry AI employee penetration. By distinguishing the patterns of industry AI penetration, this study reconciles prevailing theoretical paradoxes and provides strategic insights for firms navigating network competition during the AI-driven digital transformation.