https://aifaultline.com/authors/jinghai-li/New papers by Jinghai Li in the AI Fault Line guide, and news naming them. https://aifaultline.com/research/p/doi-10-62177-apemr-v3i5-1737/https://aifaultline.com/research/p/doi-10-62177-apemr-v3i5-1737/Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000Using panel data on 280 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2023, this study treats China's national AI innovation pilot zones as a quasi-natural experiment in a staggered difference-in-differences design. It finds the pilot zones significantly widened wage gaps within cities, working through technology benefits that favour some workers, industrial restructuring and technology diffusion, with stronger effects in eastern cities, cities with better digital infrastructure and cities with lower human capital.