Based on upper echelons theory, this study takes A-share high-tech enterprises from 2014 to 2023 as a sample to explore the impact of AI leadership on digital innovation. The results show that AI leadership has a positive impact on corporate digital innovation, with entrepreneurial orientation and organizational routines serving as mediating variables. Both executive political connections and corporate adaptability strengthen the positive impact of AI leadership on digital innovation. Further research reveals that: ①From the perspective of digital innovation types, AI leadership promotes digital product and process innovation but has no significant relationship with digital business model innovation. ②From a dynamic perspective, the positive impact of AI leadership on digital innovation exhibits temporal continuity, yet the impact gradually weakens over time. ③In contexts where industry competitive interaction is more intense, digital infrastructure is more developed, and technological human capital is more abundant, AI leadership has a stronger promoting effect on digital innovation.