This study measured the levels of Digital-Intelligence Integration (DII) and ecological resilience in cities within the Yellow River Basin from 2011 to 2022 using the entropy weight TOPSIS method and a coupling coordination model. The spatio-temporal evolution of DII was further analyzed. Building on these measurements, seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) and moderated mediation models were employed to investigate the effects, underlying mechanisms, and moderating factors influencing the relationship between DII and urban ecological resilience in the region. The results showed that the overall level of DII in the Yellow River Basin increased from 0.144 to 0.353 during the study period. By 2022, most cities had transitioned out of states of extreme and severe imbalance. A distinct spatial clustering pattern was observed for DII, with cluster centers predominantly located in the Shandong Peninsula and provincial capitals. The gap between these cluster centers and non-central cities was found to be widening. DII exerted a significantly positive overall effect on urban ecological resilience (regression coefficient = 0.197, p<0.01). However, its effect on the resistance dimension of ecological resilience was significantly negative (coefficient = -0.011, p<0.01), suggesting a potential weakening effect. Green innovation and public environmental concern acted as significant mediators. The regression coefficients of DII on green innovation and public environmental concern were 0.744 (p<0.01) and 0.345 (p<0.05), respectively. Financial development positively moderated these mediating roles, as the interaction terms between financial development and DII yielded significant coefficients of 0.122 and 0.146 (both p<0.01) for green innovation and public environmental concern, respectively. Heterogeneity analysis indicated that DII significantly enhanced urban ecological resilience only in downstream regions (coefficient=0.302, p<0.01), with no significant effects observed in upstream or midstream regions. Moreover, non-resource-based cities and those designated as big data comprehensive pilot zones exhibited stronger effects (coefficients = 0.235 and 0.285, respectively, both p<0.01) compared to other cities. These findings provide scientific support and policy references for optimizing urban ecological resilience in the Yellow River Basin in the era of digital intelligence.