With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the global employment structure is undergoing profound transformations, significantly impacting social sustainability. This study utilizes panel data from 30 Chinese provinces spanning the years 2010 to 2022 and applies a two-way fixed-effects model to analyze the impact of AI development on the employment skills structure. The findings indicate that advancements in AI technology significantly suppress the demand for low-skilled labor while markedly enhancing the demand for both middle- and high-skilled labor. The threshold effect analysis reveals a nonlinear relationship between AI advancements and the demand for low-skilled workers. Mediation effect tests demonstrate that technological innovation serves as a mediating factor in AI’s impact on low- and middle-skilled labor but has no significant effect on high-skilled labor. The heterogeneity analysis further indicates that AI’s negative impact on low-skilled female employment is more severe than for males, while its positive impact on high-skilled male workers is significant. Additionally, the employment effects of AI are mainly observed in labor-intensive provinces, with minimal influence in capital-intensive areas. This study suggests harnessing AI’s potential to promote employment while proactively mitigating its disruptive effects on the labor market through enhanced research and development support, strengthened employment security, and coordinated regional economic development, thereby advancing sustainable economic and social progress.

As the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China has been attracting attention. In the global carbon emission structure, the proportion of household carbon emissions continues to increase, and it is necessary to focus on the issue of household emissions. Based on the perspective of the family sector and the comparison of urban–rural and interprovincial differences, this study makes a thorough and systematic analysis of the factors affecting direct household carbon emissions. The average carbon emission of urban households is higher than that of rural households. Both personal background and household energy consumption facility use have important impacts on household carbon emissions, and the degree of impact varies between urban and rural areas and between provinces. Reducing household carbon emissions and achieving a harmonious coexistence between man and nature are the common goals of the government and society. The government should explore the model of green sustainable development on the basis of ensuring the energy needs of residents. Residents should also further establish a low-carbon life concept and focus on the cultivation of low-carbon lifestyles.

In the context of promoting sustainable development and innovative growth, few studies have examined the signaling role of digital policy texts and its effects on enterprise innovation. Focused on the pilot project of China’s National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone (NBCPZ), this article applies the modified PMC index model to measure the quality of the 81 digital policies issued by the NBCPZ from 2016 to 2022 and uses a regression model to assess the impact of the digital policies’ quality on the enterprise innovation levels. The results show that the quality of digital policies released by NBCPZ in China shows temporal fluctuation and regional heterogeneity. High-quality digital policies positively promote enterprise innovation, and this relationship exhibits heterogeneity based on enterprise and industry characteristics. High-quality digital policies can enhance enterprises’ innovation level by optimizing the regional data innovation environment and enhancing the willingness of enterprises to innovate with data. These findings reveal the potential effects of digital policy in fostering sustainable enterprise practices and driving enterprise innovation capabilities.

Disaster governance draws attention from academics and policymakers, especially in developing countries. This paper shows how daily geo-disaster governance at local level operates in China and then reveals the causes of its pattern. To achieve the goals, we apply the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework as the lens into the case of Chongqing’s Three Gorges Reservoir Region. We find that China’s daily geo-disaster governance, as a whole, is a top–down system where public sectors play an active role. It emphasizes technology, engineering, and profession, and features the matrix of fragmentation. The governance varies as the situations change and leaves disconnection among situations. The exogenous environment, several rules in action situations, and evaluative criteria shape the governance pattern altogether. Finally, we suggest that the government should change from disaster orientation to people orientation, from discontinuity to continuity, and from singularity to diversity.

Settlement structure is the most essential aspect of rural landscapes and habitations in China. The process of merging rural settlements has given rise to tensions in spatial-social structures, posing significant risks to rural sustainability. However, little research has been undertaken to analyze potential resolutions for the challenges of sustainable development in the context. Based on the technological mediation theory, we used participant observation and interviews to investigate the effects of the photovoltaic system on spatial-social structures, governance patterns, and rural sustainability. By focusing on a representative merger project area situated in Shandong Province, our research revealed that the photovoltaic system improved spatial, social, and governance sustainability in rural areas rather than only the environmental aspect. In the spatial dimension, the photovoltaic system reconstructed domestic spaces and activated scenarios conducive to public life. In the social dimension, it fostered the eradication of disparities in identity and facilitated the reintegration of social networks. In the governance dimension, a large-scale governance pattern supported by mutual interest, collective trust, and the integrated system was developed to successfully resolve emerging problems and ultimately promoted the sustainability of the community–village region. The findings highlight the efficacy of employing technological design as a means to resolve resettlement dilemmas, which could shed light on the elimination of conflicts arising from the interplay between urbanization and sustainability of rural areas.