This article carries out investigation on the creative development of the artificial intelligence industry from the angle of a modernized industrial system. Utilizing panel data of 30 provinces in China during 2013 to 2024, this paper constructs a dual-system framework which is composed by the modernized industrial system index (MISI) and the artificial intelligence industry innovative development index (AIIDI), and it evaluates the relationship between them through the methods of coupling-coordination analysis, fixed-effects estimation, mechanism testing, threshold analysis, spatial spillover estimation, and super-efficiency SBM comparison. The outcome demonstrates that MISI had an increase from 0.312 to 0.587, thus AIIDI also had a rise from 0.184 to 0.511. The benchmark regression makes it clear that MISI has an obviously positive influence on AIIDI and that the result keeps stable after lag replacement, weight replacement, and municipality exclusion. Mechanism examinations indicate that digital infrastructure is the most powerful transmission path, followed by talent gathering and industrial financing, with indirect effect proportions being 24.5%, 20.3%, and 18.0%, separately. Threshold and heterogeneity outcomes further give indication that, after local manufacturing support attains critical levels, the effect becomes stronger, hence it is more obvious in the eastern region and in provinces with urban agglomeration. The outcome of efficiency indicates that the national average SBM efficiency has promoted from 0.684 to 0.923, although the superfluity in innovation inputs and the deficiencies in technology transfer still can be seen clearly.
