Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a powerful tool for solving global challenges. From climate change monitoring to improving healthcare accessibility, AI supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by enabling smarter decision-making, automation, and data-driven solutions. This article explores how AI contributes to sustainable development while addressing ethical and environmental concerns.
What Are Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
The Sustainable Development Goals are 17 global objectives established by the United Nations in 2015 to create a better and more sustainable future by 2030.
Key Objectives of the SDGs
- End poverty worldwide
- Ensure quality education
- Achieve gender equality
- Promote clean energy
- Combat climate change
- Build sustainable cities
Why SDGs Matter in the Modern World
SDGs provide a global framework that guides governments, businesses, and communities toward long-term sustainability and inclusive growth.Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a powerful tool for solving global challenges
Challenges of AI for achieving the SDGs
One challenge is that AI can accelerate the attainment of some SDG targets and inhibit
the attainment of other SDG targets. Vinuesa et al (2020) analyzed the role of AI in
achieving the SDGs and found that AI undermines the attainment of 59 SDG targets
while it facilitates the attainment of 135 SDG targets. Another challenge is the difficulty
in determining what constitutes relevant evidence to establish a relationship between
AI and a particular SDG (Vinuesa et al, 2020). Another challenge is the absence of
large data centres in developing countries or the small number of large data centres
in developed countries. Large data centres are data hubs that have a wide variety of
datasets that can be used by AI systems to generate useful insights to support SDG
decision making and to evaluate the progress made towards achieving the SDGs. The
absence of large data centres in developing countries means that