Open Access

Lucie Stecker

• Climate change related issues have increasingly gained attention of those in the field of science, business and politics. In addition to that, the United Nations (UN) has sustainable development on its agenda and is looking for innovative ways to achieve it. Great potential is seen in the complex technology of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is progressively causing changes in all areas of life such as traffic, com-munication, work and health. The aim of this master's thesis is to investigate, whe-ther or not, AI applications can have a positive effect on the achievement of the first five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN’s Agenda 2030 concerning poverty, hunger, health, education and genderequality. Therefore the theoretical fundamentals of AI and the concept of sustainable development are clarified. Also a connection between the two subject areas is drawn. Based on existing AI applica-tions in the field of sustainability and previous research, that links AI and sustaina-bility, the discussion reveals to which extent positive and negative effects can be shown by using the technology for achieving the five SDGs. The results indicate that AI offers opportunities to lead society in the direction of future sustainability within planetary boundaries; however, unexpected negative consequences must be taken into account. International legal frameworks can counteract the risks of using the intelligent technologies. The orientation towards economic growth, which is also reflected in the use of AI, has prevented a sustainable orientation up to now.