Artifi cial intelligence ( AI ) has developed rapidly in recent years. It has, however, exerted not only a creative effect, but also a destructive effect on employment. Using the provincial panel data of China from 2008 to 2016, the current study explores the changes of workforce demand in different regions and at different skill levels under the infl uence of intelligent material capital investment, and analyzes the impact and effect direction of AI on the workforce employment in China by channels of creative effect and destructive effect. The study found that AI affects the workforce employment in different aspects and at different skill levels, and there is a trend of "polarization"; the upgrading of the industrial structure will to a certain extent further aggravate the impacts of AI on the "polarization" of employment; and AI has a differential impact on the workforce employment in different regions and at different skill levels. The study suggests that we should further strengthen educational training, optimize the industrial structure, and improve social welfare to cope with the destructive effects of AI and promote the stability of the labor market