A panoramic view and swot analysis of artificial intelligence for achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030: progress and prospects

Applied Intelligence https://doi.org/10.1007/s10489-021-02264-y A panoramic view and swot analysis of artificial intelligence for achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030: progress and prospects Iván Palomares1,2 · Eugenio Martı́nez-Cámara1 · Rosana Montes1 · Pablo Garcı́a-Moral3 · Manuel Chiachio1 · Juan Chiachio1 · Sergio Alonso1 · Francisco J. Melero1 · Daniel Molina1 · Bárbara Fernández4 · Cristina Moral4 · Rosario Marchena4 · Javier Pérez de Vargas5 · Francisco Herrera1,5 Accepted: 4 February 2021 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021 Abstract The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations Agenda 2030 constitute a global blueprint agenda and instrument for peace and prosperity worldwide. Artificial intelligence and other digital technologies that have emerged in the last years, are being currently applied in virtually every area of society, economy and the environment. Hence, it is unsurprising that their current role in the pursuance or hampering of the SDGs has become critical. This study aims at providing a snapshot and comprehensive view of the progress made and prospects in the relationship between artificial intelligence technologies and the SDGs. A comprehensive review of existing literature has been firstly conducted, after which a series SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analyses have been undertaken to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats inherent to artificial intelligence-driven technologies as facilitators or barriers to each of the SDGs. Based on the results of these analyses, a subsequent broader analysis is provided, from a position vantage, to (i) identify the efforts made in applying AI technologies in SDGs, (ii) pinpoint opportunities for further progress along the current decade, and (iii) distill ongoing challenges and target areas for important advances. The analysis is organized into six categories or perspectives of human needs: life, economic and technological development, social development, equality, resources and natural environment. Finally, a closing discussion is provided about the prospects, key guidelines and lessons learnt that should be adopted for guaranteeing a positive shift of artificial intelligence developments and applications towards fully supporting the SDGs attainment by 2030. Keywords Sustainable development goals · Artificial intelligence · Emerging digital technologies 1 Introduction Digital technologies are characterized by their innovative nature. These technologies have the capacity to rapidly evolve and adapt to different sectors as their common ground, thereby giving rise to new business models [1– 3]. In particular, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital This article belongs to the Topical Collection: 30th Anniversary Special Issue  Rosana Montes Extended author information available on the last page of the article. technologies surrounding it, such as big data, blockchain, cloud, virtual and augmented reality, etc., are revolutionizing our society, propelling its transformation in the current age of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution [4–6]. In essence, these technologies are expected to consolidate as a societal and economic lever for transformation at global scale. AI has currently reached a sufficient level of maturity both as an umbrella scientific discipline and as a technology, having spread from laboratories to the entire society. Industry and government administrations make an increasingly extended use of intelligent and digital technologies in their daily projects and endeavors [7–9]. The economic impact of AI has grown considerably in the last years, and recent studies predict a 15-billion economic impact by year 2030 [10]. For these reasons, AI could –and must– further I. Palomares et al. the attainment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established in the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, becoming a facilitator to achieve the 169 targets underlying such goals. In recent years, several studies have arisen to examine the challenges, benefits and potential impacts of the AI [11–14] and related technologies (e.g. blockchain [15, 16]) as catalysts for the whole compendium of SDGs. Aspects including the impact of AI in sustainability case studies [11], regulatory approaches to minimize the negative impact of AI on SDGs [12], systematically assessing the current effects of AI in each of the SDG targets [13], or awareness-raising on pushing technological innovations ahead [14], have been discussed. Meanwhile, based on an in-depth literature review and guided by the insights provided in the aforesaid studies, our focus consists in uncovering both the road travelled so far and the pending road ahead in leveraging AI technologies for achieving the SDGs by 2030. Specifically, our double aim is: (i) to identify (predicated on SWOT analyses) the most remarkable opportunities and challenges to advance towards the fulfillment of the SDGs in all their dimensions along the next decade, with the aid and recent progress made across the AI landscape; and (ii) to propose a “decade roadmap” of future actions and guidelines to consider for maximizing the attainment of this ambitious, yet much needed global agenda. Accordingly, this paper provides a panoramic view and a comprehensive reflection about the double-sided role that the AI and digital technologies closely tied to it have played so far, and could potentially play, in achieving the SDGs by 2030. The strengths and prospects to embrace in these technologies are highlighted on the one hand, along with the difficulties and potential threats they can also pose on the other hand. Following a substantial revision of related literature lying at the intersection between AI and the SDGs, the study provides a fourfold contribution: – – A synthesis summary and classification of surveyed literature where AI applications in the SDGs have been investigated, distinguishing between scientific publications and dissemination works, and identifying the target SDG each study focuses on. We provide all the references studied in a spreadsheet format as supplementary material.1 As a result of the reviewed literature, a comprehensive SWOT analysis is undertaken for each of the SDGs by identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that AI can bring in each goal. – – Based on the SWOT analyses, a snapshot analysis regarding six dimensions and perspectives of human needs is provided on the main prospects and recommendations for progress in attaining the SDGs along the 2020-30 decade. Lastly, a broader discussion is made with a focus on upcoming developments. Specifically, a roadmap of five key elements or priorities to consider along the next decade is proposed, providing insights and underlining lessons learnt to maximize the positive impact that AI could play to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The paper is organized as fo (...truncated)