Vietnam Symposium in Climate Transition 2025>
Does Corporate Production of AI Innovation Create Value?
Ali Ahmadi  1@  , Ambrus Kecskes  2@  , Roni Michaely  3@  , Phuong-Anh Nguyen  1@  
1 : York University
2 : Schulich School of Business at York University
3 : University of Hong Kong

Yes, by decreasing firm risk, not by increasing profitability, and with investors taking years to recognize the value created. We start, using novel AI patent data, by documenting significant corporate production of AI innovation as early as 1990. Then, we show that a signification motivation for a firm's AI production is the mutually reinforcing effects of the firm's innovation capacity (exogenous R&D stock) and its labor inputs' AI exposure (both the firm's own and its customers'). We use the interaction of these two effects to instrument for AI production. We find that producing AI creates firm value through a large, permanent decrease in risk (cash flow and stock return, systematic and idiosyncratic). Further evidence suggests that AI lowers physical capital intensity and increases bargaining power for producing firms. The initial market reaction to AI patent announcements is economically small, but abnormal stock returns thereafter are significantly positive (about 5% per year) for (only) roughly three years, suggesting initial undervaluation followed by gradual correction. We find no evidence of investor learning, except during the past five years. We empirically distinguish producing AI innovation versus AI adoption, automation, general technology, and other potential confounds.


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