Mapping AI’s role in supporting or hindering the achievement of SDGs: A systematic review for AI in government

List of Authors

  1. Hiba Karam ,  
  2. Meng Cai ,  
  3. Vijay Palliyil ,  
  4. Lalita Phatthanachaisuksiri ,  
  5. Niklas Suhre ,  
  6. Eva Kassens-Noor
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Abstract

Governments are increasingly adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance decision-making, public services, and infrastructure. However, the rapid integration of AI into government systems presents both opportunities and challenges. The United Nations has highlighted AI’s dual role in both advancing and potentially hindering progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite this recognition, a significant research gap remains in understanding the specific impact of AI adoption by governments on SDG achievement. This study addresses that gap through a systematic analysis of whether AI adoption supports or hinders progress toward the SDGs. Using the PRISMA framework, we conducted a systematic review of 73 studies. Our findings highlight AI’s transformative potential while emphasizing the need for governments to develop deliberate strategies to mitigate disparities and ensure alignment with broader societal objectives. This research contributes to the evolving discourse on AI in governance and its implications for sustainable development.

Corresponding author
Eva Kassens-Noor
Grant information

This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the [European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme][European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme] (Grant agreement No. [101087218]) Urban scAInce: why and how cities transform through artificial intelligence and their associated technologies- scAInce.

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Copyright
© 2025 Hiba Karam (Co-Author); Meng Cai (Co-Author); Vijay Palliyil (Co-Author); Lalita Phatthanachaisuksiri (Co-Author); Niklas Suhre (Co-Author); Eva Kassens-Noor (Corresponding Author, Co-Author) Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Authors & roles

Hiba Karam

Institute of Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering, Technische Universitat Darmstadt Fachbereich Bau- und Umweltingenieurwissenschaften, Darmstadt, Hesse, 64287, Germany

Roles
Co-Author, Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Visualization, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing
0009-0000-2882-2143

Meng Cai

Institute of Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering, Technische Universitat Darmstadt Fachbereich Bau- und Umweltingenieurwissenschaften, Darmstadt, Hesse, 64287, Germany

Roles
Co-Author, Conceptualization, Writing – Review & Editing
0000-0002-8318-572X

Vijay Palliyil

Institute of Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering, Technische Universitat Darmstadt Fachbereich Bau- und Umweltingenieurwissenschaften, Darmstadt, Hesse, 64287, Germany

Roles
Co-Author, Methodology, Writing – Review & Editing
0000-0001-8467-7542

Lalita Phatthanachaisuksiri

Institute of Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering, Technische Universitat Darmstadt Fachbereich Bau- und Umweltingenieurwissenschaften, Darmstadt, Hesse, 64287, Germany

Roles
Co-Author, Methodology, Writing – Review & Editing

Niklas Suhre

Institute of Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering, Technische Universitat Darmstadt Fachbereich Bau- und Umweltingenieurwissenschaften, Darmstadt, Hesse, 64287, Germany

Roles
Co-Author, Writing – Review & Editing

Eva Kassens-Noor

Institute of Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering, Technische Universitat Darmstadt Fachbereich Bau- und Umweltingenieurwissenschaften, Darmstadt, Hesse, 64287, Germany

Roles
Corresponding Author, Co-Author, Conceptualization, Funding Acquisition, Methodology, Project Administration, Supervision, Writing – Review & Editing

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