Sustainability and Artificial Intelligence: Necessary, Challenging, and Promising Intersections
2026-06-08 • Social and Information Networks
Social and Information NetworksArtificial IntelligenceComputers and SocietyEmerging Technologies
AI summaryⓘ
The authors studied how artificial intelligence (AI) affects environmental, social, and governance aspects of development, focusing on how AI relates to complex sustainability problems. They analyzed 541 research papers to see which topics, journals, and fields are most connected to AI and sustainable science and technology. Their findings highlight important but challenging links across disciplines and suggest ways to grow the community working on AI for sustainable development. The authors also discuss where AI is expected to be applied and which institutions play key roles.
artificial intelligencesustainabilitydigital economywicked problemsenvironmental, social and governance (ESG)bibliometric analysisinterdisciplinary researchsustainable developmentgreen technology
Authors
Han-Teng Liao, Zijia Wang
Abstract
Both digital economy and digital technology researchers increasingly recognize the need to better address the role that artificial intelligence (AI) plays in shaping the evolution of the environmental, social and governance aspects of development. It appears that sustainability and AI research converge on the features of wicked problems that are complex, interconnected and dynamic. Building off such convergence, this article aims to map out the necessary, challenging, and promising intersections by providing an overview of the state of art research. Based on 541 bibliographic data collected from the Web of Science (WoS) database, the findings reveal the increasingly central body of work on green and sustainable science and technology in bridging various disciplines, main journals and key topics and concepts. The findings reveal how such interactions can be necessary, challenging, and promising. The article concludes with few general arguments regarding how to diversify and expand the community of practice regarding AI for sustainable development, especially in the areas of expected AI application areas and institutions.