Abstract

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), tourism companies are leveraging AI to enhance their competitive advantage. Drawing on competition theory, this paper explores the relationships among AI application, innovation capability, organizational culture, and competitive advantage, and verifies the chain mediating effect of innovation capability and organizational culture. Data from 400 tourism enterprises in China were collected through a survey questionnaire, and multiple regression analysis was employed. The results indicate that AI application has a positive and significant effect on the competitive advantage of enterprises. Innovation capability mediates the relationship between AI application and competitive advantage, as does organizational culture. Furthermore, innovation capability and organizational culture exhibit a chain mediating effect. This study broadens the understanding of AI applications in the tourism industry and elucidates the mechanism through which AI influences the competitive advantage of enterprises.