The Application, Mechanisms, and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Sustainable Development

The global endeavor to advance sustainable development is confronted with formidable hurdles brought by climate change, environmental deterioration and resource depletion. Artificial intelligence has evolved into a pivotal transformative tool that propels sustainable transition across various core fields. This study synthesizes research findings to explore AI applications in corporate green technological innovation, energy system transformation, environmental functional material development, sustainable supply chain management and renewable energy optimization. It identifies the core mechanisms driving AI's sustainability effects, including financial facilitation, optimized resource allocation and predictive analytics. Meanwhile, the study reveals the differentiated impacts of AI adoption across diverse industries, regions and firm types, as well as critical challenges such as inferior data quality, sophisticated algorithm design and technological integration dilemmas. Future research directions centered on data standardization, explainable AI development and inclusive technology popularization are proposed to unlock the full transformative potential of AI for a more sustainable global future.