Global Impacts of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development: A Process Tracing Approach

Simplice Asongu, Amarachi Ogbonna (), P Viswanathan (), Mariette Mete () and Chinaza Nnam ()
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Amarachi Ogbonna: Yaoundé, Cameroon
P Viswanathan: Amritapuri, India
Mariette Mete: Yaoundé, Cameroon
Chinaza Nnam: Yaoundé, Cameroon

No 26/065, Working Papers from European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS)

Abstract: The current study adopts the process testing technique to determine if the causal relationship between AI and SD follows the theory of utopian technological determinism at the global level through a comprehensive review of literature. From the evidence available in literature, it is obvious that the literature is oversaturated with studies that establish a positive and unidirectional causal link between AI and several aspects of sustainability, including the achievement of the SDGs, thus proving that AI is paramount for sustainable development. However, the gap in these studies is that they fail to highlight the role of sustainable development in shaping AI technologies, which is important because technological innovation does not occur in isolation as there is a human side to it. Therefore, the study concludes by suggesting that future studies should focus on an encompassing view on the AI-SD nexus that highlights how the society shapes AI and pinpoints whether the AI-SD nexus is bidirectional.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Sustainable Development; Sustainable Development Goals; Technological determinism; Process tracing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39 pages
Date: 2026-01
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http://publications.excas.org/RePEc/exs/exs-wpaper ... Tracing-Approach.pdf Revised version, 2026 (application/pdf)

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Working Paper: Global Impacts of Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Development: A Process Tracing Approach (2026)
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