Abstract:Against the backdrop of agricultural modernization, artificial intelligence(AI) technology has emerged as a core driver for enhancing agricultural production efficiency, advancing the green transformation of agriculture, and revitalizing rural areas. By analyzing field survey data from 141 apple growers in Yantai City, this study constructed a baseline regression model and a mediating effect model to explore the current status of AI-enabled adoption of green pest control technologies, as well as their economic and environmental effects. The findings are as follows: First, the adoption of green pest control technologies exhibits a structural feature of “Ecological regulation as the main approach, supplemented by biological control.” Technologies such as fruit bagging and osmia pollination have adoption rates exceeding 50%, while the promotion of technologies like sex pheromone traps and natural enemy release remains insufficient. Among the surveyed farmers, the overall adoption rate of AI technology is only 20.41%: intelligent irrigation and fertilization systems are the most preferred due to their significant cost-effectiveness, whereas the adoption rates of high-investment technologies(e.g., drone orchard inspection and intelligent fruit quality sorting equipment) generally remain below 20%. Second, the adoption of green pest control technologies exerts a significantly positive impact on both the economic and environmental performance of the Yantai apple industry. Third, AI technology plays a partial mediating role between the adoption of green pest control technologies and their economic and environmental effects. Based on these findings, policy recommendations are proposed, including strengthening technology promotion and training, improving technical service support, and optimizing policy incentives. These recommendations are aimed at providing a reference for promoting the green, efficient, and intelligent development of agriculture.