To clarify how artificial intelligence (AI) adoption shapes the green transition in farmland utilization, based on the 2023 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) conducted by Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, this study employs a Probit model to empirically investigate the impact and transmission mechanisms of AI on farmer organic fertilizer adoption. The findings are as follows: 1) AI significantly promotes the green transformation of farmland utilization. Baseline regression results show that: Farmers using AI-assisted decision-making exhibit a 14.5% higher probability of adopting organic fertilizer. This conclusion remains robust after replacing the dependent variable, altering clustered standard errors, and employing instrumental variable estimation. 2) Mechanism analysis reveals that AI operates through two pathways: first, by mitigating farmers’ time preferences through the visualization of long-term benefits, thereby reducing discount rates; second, by enhancing the accessibility of agricultural credit, alleviating financial constraints associated with green production. 3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that AI exhibits stronger marginal effects among farmers in regions with weak technical training infrastructure and those located far from agricultural service centers, suggesting its potential to compensate for deficiencies in traditional agricultural extension services. This study provides micro-level evidence for understanding how digital technologies empower agricultural green transformation. From a policy perspective, priority should be given to promoting AI applications in regions with weak agricultural extension services, with emphasis on leveraging its mechanisms to improve farmers’ time preferences and credit constraints.
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