Abstract:    The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has injected new vitality into China′s smart manufacturing transformation. How to integrate AI with smart manufacturing to achieve transformation is a critical challenge for Chinese manufacturing enterprises. From the perspective of "cognitive-behavior" integration, this paper explored the process of AI-driven smart manufacturing transformation in manufacturing enterprises through a longitudinal case study of BOE Technology Group. The findings indicated that: (1) The AI-driven transformation process of manufacturing enterprises experiences three stages: automation, integration and autonomy, culminating in a leap from basic intelligence to ecological intelligence; (2) Manufacturing enterprises employ three meaning construction approaches— "technology demand-driven", "strategic awakening-driven", and "cultural reshaping-driven"—which influence the three resource orchestration patterns of "utilization-oriented → exploration-oriented → dynamic-oriented", thus facilitating the integration of AI and smart manufacturing transformation; (3) The role of meaning construction in resource orchestration evolves dynamically in multiple stages, and presents a process of "guidance → reshaping → reinforcement". The results have not only provided a theoretical framework for manufacturing enterprises to achieve smart manufacturing transformation but also enriched the application of resource orchestration theory and managerial cognition theory. The study will offer valuable insights for strategic decision-making in smart manufacturing transformation within manufacturing enterprises.

Key words: smart manufacturing transformation, artificial intelligence, resource orchestration theory, meaning construction