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Sustainability
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Deep Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development
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Deep Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 1923

Editors

Dr. Santoso Wibowo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering and Technology, Central Queensland University, Melbourne, QLD 4701, Australia
Interests: artificial intelligence; machine learning; sustainable management; digital transformation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Saeed Reza Mohandes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Management, School of Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Interests: AI; deep learning; machine learning; fuzzy logics; meta-heuristics algorithms; probabilistic techniques; construction engineering and management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Group on Sustainable Infrastructure Management (RG-SIM+), Department of Quantity Surveying, Federal University of Technology, Akure 340252, Nigeria
Interests: sustainable infrastructure management; digital construction; quantity surveying; sustainable environments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be deeply integrated into sustainable development efforts to address environmental, economic, and social challenges. It highlights both the transformative opportunities AI offers and the ethical, operational, and governance challenges that arise when embedding AI into sustainability agendas. In addition, it aims to bring together diverse academic perspectives to identify emerging trends, address implementation challenges, and provide actionable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working at the intersection of AI and sustainability.

This Special Issue will extend the current literature by bridging the gaps between AI research and sustainability development, two domains that are often addressed separately. While existing studies frequently explore AI applications or sustainability challenges in isolation, this Special Issue intends to emphasise their integration, showcasing how AI can systematically reshape sustainability initiatives across different sectors. It also aims to highlight the issues of ethics, governance, and environmental impact—areas where research remains limited despite their growing global relevance. By presenting interdisciplinary approaches, practical case studies, and forward-looking policy insights, this Special Issue aims to provide a more holistic and actionable understanding that complements and enriches existing academic discourse.

We welcome research papers and review articles on the following or related topics:

  • The role of AI in sustainability management;
  • Applications of AI in climate action and environmental monitoring;
  • The importance of governance, ethics, and privacy for ensuring responsible use of AI in sustainability contexts;
  • The application of AI to achieve a circular economy and sustainable resource management;
  • The application of AI in sustainability development;
  • The application of AI to achieve sustainability;
  • Management techniques for sustainable development;
  • Innovative techniques for sustainable projects;
  • The application of AI in climate action, environmental monitoring, and nature-based solutions;
  • AI-enabled decision support for SDGs, ESG, and achieving sustainability.

Dr. Santoso Wibowo
Dr. Saeed Reza Mohandes
Dr. Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • artificial intelligence
  • sustainable development
  • environmental sustainability
  • responsible AI
  • digital transformation
  • sustainable built environment

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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26 pages, 1109 KB  
Article
Artificial Intelligence as a Strategic Driver of Environmental Sustainability: Unpacking the Mediating Role of Green Governance in GCC Industrial Firms
by Ruaa BinSaddig, Amina Toumi, Reem Khamis and Bahaa Subhi Awwad
Sustainability 2026, 18(12), 6217; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126217 - 17 Jun 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 412
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the role of artificial intelligence (AI) for strategically steering corporate environmental sustainability, which remains underexplored in the context of emerging economies. Drawing on the resource-based perspective and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, we argue that the adoption of AI also [...] Read more.
This study aims to investigate the role of artificial intelligence (AI) for strategically steering corporate environmental sustainability, which remains underexplored in the context of emerging economies. Drawing on the resource-based perspective and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, we argue that the adoption of AI also represents an aspect associated with an organizational capability on a higher rung that can enhance performance towards environmental goals. We further examine a mediating framework through which the effect of AI on environmental sustainability is transmitted through firms’ green governance structures. Using a longitudinal panel dataset of 75 publicly listed industrial firms operating in six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from 2018 to 2025, we used fixed-effects regression analysis alongside bootstrapped mediation analysis. In fact, the empirical evidence suggests that AI adoption is positively and significantly associated with environmental sustainability. We also show that green governance partially mediates this relationship implying that AI-based strategic investment is better realized in terms of measurable environmental impacts when it is embedded within sound board-level ESG governance systems. As such, the findings provide an important empirical perspective on the AI–sustainability nexus in the GCC industrial landscape and also explain the empirical role played by green governance in implementing technology, constituting technological enablers for the transformation of technological capabilities to concrete environmental outcomes. The study will also provide policymakers and managers with actionable insights on the potential for digital transformation to act as a strategic enabler of sustainable development in resource-intensive industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Deep Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development)
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25 pages, 924 KB  
Systematic Review
The Role of Modern Digital Mechanisms in Shaping Building Structures for Sustainable Development: A Systematic Literature Review
by Anna Szewczyk and Jolanta Dzwierzynska
Sustainability 2026, 18(11), 5428; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18115428 - 28 May 2026
Viewed by 892
Abstract
The global construction sector is undergoing a major shift driven by Construction 4.0, where traditional structural design methods are increasingly complemented or replaced by advanced digital technologies. This systematic review evaluates how Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative Design (GD), and Building Information Modeling (BIM) [...] Read more.
The global construction sector is undergoing a major shift driven by Construction 4.0, where traditional structural design methods are increasingly complemented or replaced by advanced digital technologies. This systematic review evaluates how Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative Design (GD), and Building Information Modeling (BIM) contribute to sustainable development in architecture and civil engineering. Using the PRISMA protocol, the study synthesizes current evidence on the role of algorithmic intelligence in supporting UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goals 9, 11, 12 and 13. Findings indicate that transitioning from deterministic engineering approaches to AI-based heuristic methods enables significant optimization of material use and structural mass, thereby reducing embodied carbon in the built environment. Performance-driven generative workflows and physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) emerge as key enablers of circularity and early-stage Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) integration. However, the review also identifies gaps, such as limited applications of genetic algorithms in sustainable steel structure design and the substantial energy consumption associated with large-scale AI models. The study concludes that while digital tools provide transformative potential for decarbonizing the construction sector, future research should focus on improving algorithm transparency, reducing black-box limitations, and standardizing performance metrics to support broader adoption in engineering practice. The review can be a framework to help researchers, engineers, and policymakers integrate emerging AI-tools into sustainable design and advancing decarbonized, resilient built environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Deep Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development)
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