Revisiting the STIRPAT Model in the Digital Era: Artificial Intelligence, Structural Transformation, and Environmental Sustainability in the United States

Authors

https://doi.org/10.48314/ramd.v3i1.77

Abstract

The rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming economic structures, energy systems, and environmental outcomes in advanced economies. However, its overall contribution to ecological sustainability remains uncertain due to the coexistence of efficiency gains and scale expansion effects. This study investigates the role of AI in shaping environmental sustainability in the United States by employing the Load Capacity Factor (LCF) as a comprehensive indicator of ecological balance. Within an extended Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) framework, the analysis incorporates financial development, renewable energy utilization, economic growth, and urbanization over the period 1990 to 2022. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach is applied to capture both long-run equilibrium relationships and short-run dynamic adjustments among the variables. The findings reveal that AI contributes positively to ecological sustainability by enhancing resource efficiency and reducing environmental pressure. Renewable energy and financial development further strengthen ecological capacity, whereas economic growth and urbanization exert adverse effects due to increased resource demand and structural expansion. Robustness estimations confirm the consistency of the results. The study highlights the importance of integrating digital innovation with green energy policies and financial systems to achieve sustainable development. These insights provide practical guidance for policymakers seeking to align technological progress with long-term environmental resilience in innovation-driven economies.

Keywords:

Artificial intelligence, Load capacity factor, Ecological sustainability, Financial development, Renewable energy

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Published

2026-03-12

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): Risk Assessment and Management Decisions (RAMD)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Tasnuva, T. ., Farukh, M. O. ., Easmin, F. ., Al Banna, S. ., Tithi, S. I. ., & Mo, K. . (2026). Revisiting the STIRPAT Model in the Digital Era: Artificial Intelligence, Structural Transformation, and Environmental Sustainability in the United States. Risk Assessment and Management Decisions, 3(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.48314/ramd.v3i1.77

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