How Artificial Intelligence Facilitates Collaborative Governance? Research on Mechanisms and Multi‐Dimensional Effects Based on Triple Entities

Collaborative governance is becoming a practical imperative. At the same time, resolving complex public affairs could offer opportunities to overcome bottlenecks, while Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help. This study draws on polycentric governance theory and multilayer network theory to explain why collaborative governance could occur and how it could be influenced by AI, respectively. Mathematical deductions from both micro and macro perspectives are employed to reinforce this theoretical viewpoint. Using Chinese cities as a case study, the impact of AI on collaborative governance has been tested in practice, supported by benchmark regression and subsequent tests for endogeneity and robustness. Mechanism tests demonstrate AI's functions by advancing digital government, lifting corporate transparency, and improving public knowledge. Moreover, econometric evidence from difference‐in‐differences, threshold regressions, and spatial econometric models robustly addresses concerns about AI. This study offers a quantifiable multi‐stakeholder governance framework and actionable policy insights for China and the Global South.