Artificial Intelligence in the Water–Energy–Food Model: A Holistic Approach towards Sustainable Development Goals

Gabriella D’Amore, Assunta Di Vaio, Daniel Balsalobre-Lorente and Flavio Boccia
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Gabriella D’Amore: Department of Law, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Via G. Parisi, 13, 80132 Naples, Italy
Assunta Di Vaio: Department of Law, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Via G. Parisi, 13, 80132 Naples, Italy
Daniel Balsalobre-Lorente: Department of Political Economy and Public Finance, Economics and Business Statistics and Economic Policy, University of Castilla-La Mancha, C/Altagracia, 50, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Flavio Boccia: Department of Economic and Legal Studies, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Via G. Parisi, 13, 80132 Naples, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: This study aims to analyze the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) nexus under the lens of institutional, stakeholder, and innovation theories. Specifically, this study focuses on AI as the technology adopted by companies to promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A structured literature review has been conducted on 94 articles published from 1990 to 2021 in ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. This study develops an in-depth review of the literature on the main articles arguing about these issues. The findings highlight the increasing relevance of AI in the water, energy, and food industries individually considered, but the study of AI as a connector between water, energy, and food to achieve SDGs is still under investigation. Research on AI for WEF nexus management has adopted mostly a technical perspective, neglecting the relevance of management tools and the business model concept. Most of the articles did not adopt a specific theoretical lens, but scholars recognize the need to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach and the important role played by AI and other digital technologies to address the WEF nexus challenge. This study proposes an integrated approach for managing the nexus through AI technologies to meet sustainable and responsible business models. The gap between research and policy making could be filled by combining scientific data and policy needs with inclusive tools that are technically viable for sustainable resource utilization.

Keywords: artificial intelligence (AI); Water–Energy–Food (WEF) nexus; business models; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); institutional; stakeholder; innovation theories; structured literature review (SLR) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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