Identifying the Sustainability Improvement Potentials of an Artificial Intelligence‐Driven Information Tool

The AI‐driven Fashion Information Tool for Sustainability (FITS) aims to enhance sustainable consumption in the textile industry by providing sustainability information during the purchase decision. In order to make FITS as sustainable as possible, we conducted a comprehensive screening at an early stage in the development process to identify any potential negative impacts or blind spots. For this purpose, we developed a four‐step, SDG‐based sustainability assessment methodology comprising a set of 217 criteria, including the 169 SDG targets and 48 AI‐specific indicators. Using a Delphi process involving four independent experts, we identified 56 impacts on sustainable development and marked 41 AI indicators as relevant for FITS. FITS therefore has an impact on all 17 SDGs except SDG 11. Based on this, we derived 69 recommendations for action to improve FITS' sustainability impact addressing four different stakeholders: FITS development team, management team, deploying organization and policy makers in the EU. These recommendations provide practical advice on adapting the AI innovation FITS (technological level), changing the associated organizational processes, and making political changes. This study highlights the importance of early‐stage sustainability assessments in AI innovations, providing an impact assessment approach that can be adapted to other AI‐based solutions.</jats:p>