Future-ready AI: A framework for ethical and sustainable adoption

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries through automation, data-driven decision-making, and innovation. However, its adoption also poses challenges, including high implementation costs, limited technical capacity, and growing concerns around ethical and sustainable practices. While research on AI adoption continues to grow, the intersection of ethics, sustainability, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remains underexplored. This study addresses that gap by investigating the dynamics of AI adoption among SMEs in Thailand—a key Southeast Asian economy—through multiple in-depth case studies. Within-case and cross-case analyses reveal that AI adoption presents both opportunities and challenges across the technological, organizational, and environmental (TOE) framework. Key factors include job security, data protection, and cost savings, while user education, mental well-being, and financial access emerge as critical concerns. The study further explores how TOE dimensions interact with sustainability and ethical considerations, conceptualized as ESG + E (Environmental, Social, Governance, and Economic). This expanded lens offers a more comprehensive understanding of responsible AI adoption. A novel integrative framework is proposed, providing actionable insights for SMEs, policymakers, and technology providers. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on AI adoption by advancing a sustainability- and ethics-oriented perspective relevant to emerging economies.