In the context of global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, understanding how digital–intelligent integration influences carbon emissions is crucial for advancing the ecological transition. Using panel data from 30 provincial-level regions in China (2014–2023), a digital–intelligent integration index was constructed via entropy weighting and a coupling coordination model. Employing fixed-effects, mediation, and spatial Durbin models, the analysis shows that digital–intelligent integration is significantly associated with lower carbon intensity, a result that is robust to endogeneity concerns and alternative specifications. Industrial structure upgrading and green technology innovation were identified as mediating pathways. Furthermore, digital–intelligent integration generates positive spatial spillovers, reducing carbon intensity in neighboring provinces. Notably, these spillovers are geographically constrained and vary significantly across the regions. These findings indicate the need to formulate regionally differentiated strategies to harness the specific mechanisms through which digital–intelligent integration operates in different contexts.
Zhao et al. (Sun,) studied this question.