Disparities in Human-AI Synergistic Development Across Chinese Cities

The synergistic development of human capital and artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming urban landscapes, yet disparities are emerging across Chinese cities. First-tier cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Shenzhen, are witnessing accelerated growth in this domain, particularly after 2015, leading to a widening gap with other cities. In 2019, these cities achieved a human-AI coordinated development index of 0.69, indicating effective synergy. New first-tier and second-tier cities demonstrate an upward trend, albeit with a slower pace, further widening the gap with first-tier cities post-2015. Conversely, third, fourth, and fifth-tier cities exhibit limited growth in both human capital and AI, resulting in a low degree of coupling. These findings highlight the need for targeted policies to bridge the digital divide and foster inclusive technological innovation across all city tiers in China.