The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development
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The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development
The impacts are expected to be profound. "Artificial intelligence" (AI) is already playing a central role in sustainable development today, while some other impacts have been predicted but not yet realized. The development of AI has been driven by a change in the nature of science from a knowledge-based paradigm to an evidence-based paradigm. Over time, advances in computer hardware and software have made it possible for artificial agents to undertake tasks previously considered impossible or constrained to human performance alone. AI is not just a new technology but also requires a new approach to sustainable development. It requires the development of new concepts and principles that can be used to transform and manage human society. These principles should be aligned with the strategic objectives of sustainable development while the potential future impacts are considered (Balogun et al., 2020). AI is defined as a field of interdisciplinary research and development that aims to build intelligent agents (and machines) that can think, act, and interact with human beings. This is already affecting society in many ways, both positive and negative. These impacts are expected to increase over time as the capabilities of AI systems expand. The impacts can be categorized into several groups. AI impacts sustainable development because it supports poverty reduction, facilitates learning, and resource management, offers protection against emerging risks, and enhances opportunities linked to the use of data and algorithms.
Given the current technological advancements, AI will change the face of poverty reduction because it makes it easy for human beings to carry out productive tasks within a short period. Once a luxury, artificial intelligence is now widely available for use in developing economies and heavily invested in future-focused projects to improve social inequality. The two primary arguments for using AI in poverty reduction are to remove bias from human decision-making and to increase efficiency by automating existing practices through data processing. According to a study by Oxfam, more than 85% of wealth created last year went to the top 1% (van, 2021). The use of AI in medicine and agriculture is intended to give the poor an equal chance at development. Over the next few decades, AI will be increasingly used for betterment in developing countries. If policymakers embrace the technology, using AI to enable sustained growth and reduce poverty is a realistic goal. The major concerns in implementing the technology are the lack of human knowledge and the availability of resources. Machines must understand human behavior and have access to relevant data before becoming effective tools in development efforts. Therefore, when the machines understand the data, it becomes easier to perform the allocated tasks than human beings would have done. AI is being advanced in agriculture to target the production and distribution of food. A study in Kenya identified the ideal soil temperature for farming by using AI to analyze past weather data to improve crop growth. AI is also used in rural areas to increase irrigation efficiency and decrease the water needed for crops. Agricultural companies like Monsanto are using AI to make recommendations on which GMO farmers should plant in different environments and the optimal times of planting and harvesting (Raj et al., 2021). Governments also employ AI to prevent corruption and increase transparency. Recently, China began using facial recognition software for driver's licenses, passports, and other official documents (Sharma et al., 2020). However, AI can be used for more than just surveillance. The Asian giant has also implemented AI in the agricultural sector, providing farmers with localized information about their crops and methods of improving them. Therefore, AI is a tool that can be used to improve operations in different sectors of the economy, thus facilitating economic growth through poverty eradication.
Artificial intelligence is here, and it is significantly learning and adapting at a rate that has been unmatched in the history of human civilization. There are many ways through which AI can be used to address global challenges. For instance, AI could be used for education through adaptive courseware, adaptive tutoring, or open coaching systems. In such a case, AI can play a vital role in addressing efficiency, equity, and sustainability challenges in education. AI can also aid global development by providing informative content that can make a difference in policymaking and sustainable development. As such, AI can be used in the form of prediction tools for social impact assessment (SIA), inclusive governance interventions, or a decision support system for sustainable development goals (SDGs) (Vinuesa et al., 2020). The education obtained through AI can be used to develop the skills, creativity, and critical thinking needed to resolve today's complex and interconnected challenges. An example of how AI has been incorporated into learning to enhance sustainable development is the Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching. This Adaptive Courseware (ACW) is a computer-based technology that provides individualized instruction in the form of adaptive feedback using data mining, artificial intelligence, and machine learning techniques to maximize student performance. It can be used in higher education as well as K-12. The Internet and World Wide Web offer several ways through which AI can be used to address today's global development challenges in education. One way of doing this is by using computer-based collaboration tools to create a digital ecosystem that promotes knowledge sharing, problem-solving, and collaboration. A pivotal way of achieving sustainable development in education is through open coaching or open learning. Open coaching is an instructional strategy that involves using technology that allows learners to participate in their learning by accessing and retrieving content from various digital resources. The multilingual accessibility of this content helps students to make informed decisions that can help them pursue personal, professional, or vocational development. In such a case, AI can facilitate the design and development of adaptive learning platforms that teach aspiring individuals skills that can be used in their work-life-learning (WLL) systems. Lastly, in the context of education, AI can also be used to develop and implement wide-scale educational interventions that address equity and sustainability challenges. As such, AI technology can be used in the form of a decision support system (DSS) to help improve decision-making at all levels of education. The main area of focus is that these existing deployment models of AI are sustainable and would facilitate sustainable development by enhancing the learning process.
AI plays a major role in facilitating resource management, a factor that is essential in facilitating sustainable development. AI facilitates resource management by enabling optimization, decision-making, and streamlining the use of resources. For example, AI can be used to organize the best places in cities for deliveries with minimal environmental impact at a lower cost. The population is growing exponentially, and the world is facing an increasing demand for natural resources. The key to sustainable development is minimizing the human impact on the planet while meeting human needs effectively. AI can help us manage our resources efficiently. For example, AI can now analyze large sets of data and organize them to facilitate optimization. This contributes to AI assisting in resource management. One example is using machine learning algorithms in healthcare, where a doctor needs to treat patients with similar symptoms for them to be cost-effective and manageable (George et al., 2021). In cases like this, data is inputted into an algorithm designed to identify similar symptoms and recommend relevant treatments. Resource management is an important aspect of sustainable development because each resource has its limits and cannot be overused. The key to sustainable development is maximizing benefits from resources while minimizing waste and avoiding unnecessary loss. For example, a dam can provide important services such as electricity and irrigation, but if the dam were to be overused for this purpose, it would become a hazard to nearby communities, causing damage to other properties. The same can be said for overfishing, whereby overfishing in the ocean would result in fish populations becoming extinct, and there will no longer be any fish to catch (Xiang et al., 2021). In cases like this, the benefits from a resource will transmute into waste, which is dangerous to both humans and the environment. Therefore, it is important that people can effectively manage their resources to sustain their lifestyle and avoid waste. One way to do this is by effectively managing how resources are used in cities or towns. For example, the uses of resources such as electricity and fuel can be optimized by AI. An example of this is the use of algorithms that are designed to control how electricity is distributed. There are many cases where resources like electricity and fuel are used in a way that is not efficient and causes waste or pollution. In cases like these, AI is useful because it can identify better ways to use these resources to reduce waste and pollution. AI can also be used in warehouses to optimize how goods are stored and transported. This may be done so that t...