Source-linked AI summary
The role of artificial intelligence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
Ricardo Vinuesa, Hossein Azizpour, Iolanda Leite, Madeline Balaam, Virginia Dignum, Sami Domisch, Anna Felländer, Simone Langhans, Max Tegmark, Francesco Fuso Nerini
TL;DR
AI’s expanding role across sectors has not been systematically assessed across all Sustainable Development Goals and targets. This study synthesizes published evidence using consensus-based expert elicitation and finds that AI may enable 128 targets while inhibiting 58.
Problem
No published study had systematically assessed how AI might affect all 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets, limiting evidence on its sustainable-development impacts.
Method
The authors used consensus-based expert elicitation supported by expert-driven literature searches to assess AI’s enabling or inhibiting effects for each target.
Results
AI may enable 128 targets (75.7%) across all SDGs, while 58 targets (34.3%) may experience negative impacts.
Takeaways & Limitations
AI may positively affect all SDGs, but associated problems need to be addressed because they may inhibit achievement of several goals.
Takeaways & Limitations
The review identifies a research gap in real-world applications of AI systems, including their adoption by governments.
Abstract
from arXiv · showhide
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and its progressively wider impact on many sectors across the society requires an assessment of its effect on sustainable development. Here we analyze published evidence of positive or negative impacts of AI on the achievement of each of the 17 goals and 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We find that AI can support the achievement of 128 targets across all SDGs, but it may also inhibit 58 targets. Notably, AI enables new technologies that improve efficiency and productivity, but it may also lead to increased inequalities among and within countries, thus hindering the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The fast development of AI needs to be supported by appropriate policy and regulation. Otherwise, it would lead to gaps in transparency, accountability, safety and ethical standards of AI-based technology, which could be detrimental towards the development and sustainable use of AI. Finally, there is a lack of research assessing the medium- and long-term impacts of AI. It is therefore essential to reinforce the global debate regarding the use of AI and to develop the necessary regulatory insight and oversight for AI-based technologies.