Work

Artificial Intelligence use cases adopted by people and their impact on achieving sustainable development goals: a systematic review

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Individuals are increasingly integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their lives, adopting various use cases in healthcare, education, urban mobility, and more. AI has the potential to enhance efficiency, well-being, and societal progress, but it also has negative potential associated with ethical challenges, privacy concerns, and social inequality. A significant research gap remains in understanding the impacts of AI use cases adopted by people on SDG achievement. This study addresses that gap through a systematic analysis of whether AI adoption by people supports or hinders progress toward the SDGs. Using the PRISMA framework, we conducted a systematic review of 131 studies. The results show that the overall impact of AI use cases adopted by individuals on the SDGs is moderately positive. These use cases significantly contribute to areas such as healthcare, innovation, and sustainable urban development, yet their effects remain complex and context dependent. While individually adopted AI fosters efficiency and well-being in many domains, concerns about job displacement, biased decision-making, and misinformation highlight the need for responsible deployment. The study emphasizes the importance of ethical AI governance, equitable access, and AI literacy to ensure its positive contribution to sustainable development. Future research should not only empirically evaluate the real-world impacts of AI applications adopted by people from a sustainability perspective but also explore and develop strategies to mitigate negative impacts on progress toward the SDGs while maximizing their positive contributions. This research contributes to the evolving discourse on AI adoption by people and its implications for sustainable development.

Source: Open Research Europe

DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.20023.2

Authors: Vijay Palliyil, Meng Cai, Hiba Karam, Lalita Phatthanachaisuksiri, Niklas Suhre, Eva Kaßens-Noor

Institutions: Technische Universität Darmstadt, Michigan State University

Language: English

Topic: Ethics and Social Impacts of AI

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $841