The AI Compass: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Tech-Driven Sustainability

The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) is to be a transformational force for sustainability in many application areas, and it could create many ethical challenges that could exacerbate existing inequalities. This chapter examines AI’s ethical dilemmas for sustainable development, from data privacy to algorithmic bias to the digital divides that may widen inequality. Drawing on interdisciplinary ideas from philosophy and ethics studies and interviews with experts, it critiques the unregulated use of AI, showing how surveillance, biased models, and technological exclusion still reproduce social and environmental injustice. Providing actionable recommendations, the study notes the importance of ethical governance through privacy-by-design protocols, participatory co-creation by marginalized communities, and policies to ensure that gaps in access to AI solutions are not created. The framework aims to harmonize AI development with ecological and social justice objectives, stressing transparency, accountability, and equity at every stage of development. The chapter urges that ethics be embedded into sustainability solutions, so that vulnerable people are empowered instead of exploited. This work feeds into global discussion about how responsible AI should be used, arguing that technological progress must help create inclusive, long-term resilience on the planet.