Sustainability and Artificial Intelligence: Theories, Current Practices and Future Challenges

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a pivotal force in the modern economy, influenced by crises such as pandemics and wars, alongside the complexities of global climate change and the transition toward greener economies. These phenomena have led to fluctuations in input costs and consumer responses, highlighting the inadequacies of current economic structures and the urgent need for advanced organizational and technological solutions to bridge these gaps. AI, with its capability to learn from real-world data and foster innovative solutions, is positioned to address the structural imbalances impacting both human and economic activities.

This Research Topic aims to unveil the potential of AI in fostering sustainable economies and societal practices. It explores theoretical and empirical research that investigates AI's capabilities to integrate environmental, psychological, and sociological insights into its frameworks. Moreover, it seeks to understand how AI can be allied with industrial design and economic models to produce more effective and sustainable market structures, consumer behaviors, and governmental processes.

To gather further insights in these areas, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Theoretical frameworks of AI for sustainability
• Empirical applications of AI in sustainable practices
• Integration of new economic and behavioral theories within AI systems
• Sociological and psychological impacts of AI on sustainability
• Policy development and governance influenced by AI
• Innovative AI-driven business and industrial models for sustainability
• The role of AI in promoting green investments and technologies
• Projections on AI's future role in sustainable development
• AI's influence on geopolitics and sustainability
• Public acceptance and social implications of AI in sustainability
• Balancing AI, human labor, and environmental sustainability
• Educational and professional training for AI and sustainability

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: artificial intelligence, AI, sustainable market structures, sustainable economies, sustainable societies

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.