Digital divides in the AI era: Socioeconomic stratification and the dual role of digital payments in China.

This study investigates how socioeconomic stratification and prior technology use jointly influence artificial intelligence (AI) awareness in China, focusing on the mediating and moderating role of digital payment usage. Using nationally representative data from the 2023 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS), the research finds that education, income, and hukou-based residence status significantly predict AI awareness, with digital payment practice mediating approximately 14%–15% of these effects and moderating their strength, particularly among rural-to-urban migrants. The study integrates digital divide theory, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and AI self-efficacy concepts to propose a dual-pathway mechanism whereby routine engagement with AI-embedded digital payments fosters perceived usefulness and mastery, translating structural advantages into cognitive engagement with AI. These findings highlight how everyday digital practices can both bridge and reproduce cognitive inequalities, offering practical implications for inclusive AI policy and digital literacy interventions in China and comparable contexts.