Abstract

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and its progressively wider impact on many sectors requires an assessment of its effect on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Using a consensus-based expert elicitation process, we find that AI can enable the accomplishment of 134 targets across all the goals, but it may also inhibit 59 targets. However, current research foci overlook important aspects. The fast development of AI needs to be supported by the necessary regulatory insight and oversight for AI-based technologies to enable sustainable development. Failure to do so could result in gaps in transparency, safety, and ethical standards.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more common in people’s lives. Here, the authors use an expert elicitation method to understand how AI may affect the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Details

Title
The role of artificial intelligence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
Author
Vinuesa Ricardo 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Azizpour Hossein 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Leite Iolanda 2 ; Balaam Madeline 3 ; Dignum Virginia 4 ; Domisch Sami 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Felländer Anna 6 ; Langhans, Simone Daniela 7 ; Tegmark Max 8 ; Fuso Nerini Francesco 9   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  Linné FLOW Centre, KTH Mechanics, Stockholm, Sweden 
2  KTH Royal Institute Of Technology, Division of Robotics, Perception, and Learning, School of EECS, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.5037.1) (ISNI:0000000121581746) 
3  KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Division of Media Technology and Interaction Design, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.5037.1) (ISNI:0000000121581746) 
4  Umeå University, Responsible AI Group, Department of Computing Sciences, Umeå, Sweden (GRID:grid.12650.30) (ISNI:0000 0001 1034 3451) 
5  Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany (GRID:grid.419247.d) (ISNI:0000 0001 2108 8097) 
6  AI Sustainability Center, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.419247.d) 
7  Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), Leioa, Spain (GRID:grid.423984.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2002 0998) ; University of Otago, Department of Zoology, Dunedin, New Zealand (GRID:grid.29980.3a) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 7830) 
8  Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Brains, Minds and Machines, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.116068.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 2341 2786) 
9  KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Unit of Energy Systems Analysis (dESA), Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.5037.1) (ISNI:0000000121581746) 
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-14108-y
ProQuest document ID
2343006812
Copyright
This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.