Artificial Intelligence, Finance, and Sustainability: An Overview

As the world increasingly recognizes the importance of sustainability, businesses and investors are looking for ways to integrate sustainable practices into their operations and investment decisions. At the same time, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and technology are transforming the finance industry and enable more data-driven decision-making. The intersection of these fields presents a significant opportunity to accelerate progress toward a more sustainable future while also improving financial performance. In fact, AI has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of sustainable practices by facilitating the analysis of large and complex datasets, identifying previously unrecognized patterns, and providing more accurate and timely predictions. This book aims to explore the crucial role of AI in sustainability and finance, examining how financial technologies and machine learning are shaping the approach of finance professionals toward environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. This introductory chapter reviews the relevant context and discusses the importance of the convergence between AI, sustainability, and finance. In addition, it provides an overview of the twelve chapters of this book.