Deploying Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence in Sustainable Development Research

Authors

Peter Yang, Case Western Reserve UniversityFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

Peter Yang

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-17-2022

Abstract

Many industrialised countries have benefited from the advent of twenty-first century technologies, especially automation, that have fundamentally changed manufacturing and industrial production processes. The next step in the evolution of automation is the development of artificial intelligence (AI), i.e. intelligence which is demonstrated by machines and systems, which cannot only perform tasks but also work synergistically with humans and nature. Intelligent systems that can see, analyse situations and respond sensitively to real-time cues, from human gestures and facial expressions to pedestrians crossing a busy street, will reshape transportation, precision agriculture, biodiversity conservation, environmental modelling, public health, construction and manufacturing, as well as initiatives designed to promote prosperity on Earth. This paper explores the connections between AI systems and sustainable development (SD) research. By means of a literature review, world survey, and case studies, ways in which AI can support research on SD and, inter alia, contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world, are identified.

Keywords

artificial intelligence, digitalisation, sustainable development research, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), world survey, case studies

Publication Title

Environment, Development and Sustainability

Rights

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2022. This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.

Recommended Citation

Leal Filho, W., Yang, P., Eustachio, J.H.P.P. et al. Deploying digitalisation and artificial intelligence in sustainable development research. Environ Dev Sustain 25, 4957–4988 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02252-3