Does artificial intelligence (AI) reduce ecological footprint? The role of globalization.

This article explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on global ecological footprints, which has important implications for global sustainability in the digital age. Using the comprehensive evaluation index of AI constructed by the entropy method and the dataset at the global national level, we find that from 2010 to 2019, the overall level of global AI shows an upward trend, in which the growth rate of AI in developed countries is more pronounced and exhibits a stable growth trend, while the growth rate of AI in developing countries displays a trend of instability. The research results show that AI has a significant inhibitory effect on ecological footprints. This conclusion holds even after endogeneity and robustness tests. In addition, under the effect of globalization, the impact of AI on ecological footprints shows nonlinear characteristics. As globalization deepens, the marginal effect of AI in reducing the ecological footprint shows an increasing trend. These findings emphasize the important role of AI in environmental governance and provide a new and comprehensive perspective for policymakers. Therefore, the government should continue to support the research and application of AI, promote the cross-industry integration of AI, and play a positive role in the process of globalization to promote global sustainable development.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)