Digital-enhanced talent cultivation mechanisms in entrepreneurial universities: an AI-integrated multi-level analysis of student entrepreneurial intentions

This study examines talent cultivation in entrepreneurial universities and investigates how formal and informal factors affect students' entrepreneurial intentions. Analysis of 782 students from eight Chinese universities, enhanced by machine learning predictive models, reveals that informal culture, particularly entrepreneurial culture ( B=0.36), combined with AI-powered personalized learning pathways (B=0.28), correlates significantly with entrepreneurial intentions. The interaction between curriculum and culture (B=0.23) suggests that educational efforts achieve greater effectiveness within supportive cultural environments. This research contributes to entrepreneurial talent development through institutional theory lenses and offers a contextual framework for universities to strategically shape entrepreneurial attitudes amid rapid changes in Chinese higher education.