Digital Innovation in Media Enterprises and Digital Transformation: The Moderating Role of GAI Technology in Media Industry
Abstract
This study investigates the influence of digital innovation in media enterprises on corporate digital transformation, with a particular focus on the moderating effect of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) technology adoption. Using a comprehensive panel dataset of 4,930 firm-year observations from Chinese enterprises between 2015 and 2022, we empirically analyze how media firms' digital innovation capabilities drive organizational transformation and how GAI implementation amplifies these effects. Our findings reveal that digital innovation in media enterprises significantly accelerates digital transformation processes, with GAI technology serving as a positive moderator that enhances this relationship. The results remain robust across alternative specifications and endogeneity tests. Further mechanism analysis suggests that digital innovation primarily operates through improving information processing capabilities and fostering organizational learning. This research contributes to the literature on digital transformation and offers practical implications for corporate technology strategy and policy development in the digital economy era.
References
Bleyen, V. A., Lindmark, S., Ranaivoson, H., & Ballon, P. (2014). A typology of media innovations: Insights from an exploratory study. The Journal of Media Innovations, 1(1), 28–51. https://doi.org/10.5617/jmi.v1i1.806
Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2017). The business of artificial intelligence. Harvard Business Review, 95(4), 3–11.
Cui, J. (2024). Analysis digital transformation on corporate ESG performance: A qualitative study. Journal of Modern Social Sciences, 1(2), 89–98.
Cui, J. (2025). Exploring the impact of digital leadership and green digital innovation on corporate digital transformation. Journal of Current Social Issues Studies, 2(4), 215–220.
Cui, J., Wan, Q., Chen, W., & Gan, Z. (2024). Application and analysis of the constructive potential of China's digital public sphere education. The Educational Review, USA, 8(3), 350–354. https://doi.org/10.26855/er.2024.03.003
Davenport, T. H., & Ronanki, R. (2018). Artificial intelligence for the real world. Harvard Business Review, 96(1), 108–116.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Ismagilova, E., Aarts, G., Coombs, C., Crick, T., ... & Williams, M. D. (2021). Artificial intelligence (AI): Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 57, Article 101994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.08.002
Fitzgerald, M., Kruschwitz, N., Bonnet, D., & Welch, M. (2014). Embracing digital technology: A new strategic imperative. MIT Sloan Management Review, 55(2), 1–12.
Helfat, C. E., & Raubitschek, R. S. (2018). Dynamic and integrative capabilities for profiting from innovation in digital platform-based ecosystems. Research Policy, 47(8), 1391–1399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.01.019
Hess, T., & Matt, C. (2013). The internet and the value chains of the media industry. In Media and convergence management (pp. 37–55). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36065-7_3
Holmberg, K., Ketonen, T., & Brännback, M. (2020). Making sense of digital transformation in media management. Journal of Media Business Studies, 17(2), 139–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/16522354.2020.1755925
Karimi, J., & Walter, Z. (2015). The role of dynamic capabilities in responding to digital disruption: A factor-based study of the newspaper industry. Journal of Management Information Systems, 32(1), 39–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2015.1029380
Küng, L. (2015). Innovators in digital news. I.B. Tauris.
Nambisan, S., Lyytinen, K., Majchrzak, A., & Song, M. (2017). Digital innovation management: Reinventing innovation management research in a digital world. MIS Quarterly, 41(1), 223–238. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2017/41:1.03
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.
Teece, D. J. (2018). Business models and dynamic capabilities. Long Range Planning, 51(1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2017.06.007
Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7<509::AID-SMJ882>3.0.CO;2-Z
Vaishya, R., Javaid, M., Khan, I. H., & Haleem, A. (2020). Artificial intelligence (AI) applications for COVID-19 pandemic. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 14(4), 337–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2020.04.012
Verhoef, P. C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Dong, J. Q., Fabian, N., & Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 122, 889–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022
Vial, G. (2019). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(2), 118–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003
Warner, K. S., & Wäger, M. (2019). Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal. Long Range Planning, 52(3), 326–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.001


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).