The discussion about the disruptive possibilities of a technology called artificial intelligence (AI) is on everyone's lips. Companies and countries alike are running multi-billion-dollar research programmes to ensure they do not miss out on the global innovation hunt. Among many other applications, AI is also supposed to aid the large-scale changes needed to achieve sustainable societies. To assess those claims and possibilities, this article briefly explains, classifies, and theorises AI technology and then politically contextualises that analysis in light of the sustainability discourse. Based on those insights it finally argues, that AI can play a small role in moving towards sustainable societies, however the fixation on technological innovation, especially AI, obscures and depoliticises the necessary societal decisions regarding sustainability goals and means as mere technicalities and therefore rather obstructs real and effective societal transformation efforts.

翻译：关于人工智能（AI）这一技术颠覆性潜能的讨论已成为各界焦点。各国及企业纷纷投入数十亿美元开展研究计划，以确保在全球创新竞赛中不落人后。在众多应用场景中，人工智能被寄望于助力实现可持续社会所需的大规模变革。为评估这些主张与可能性，本文首先对人工智能技术进行简要阐释、分类与理论化分析，继而结合可持续发展话语对其政治语境化审视。基于上述分析，本文最终论证：人工智能在推动可持续社会发展中可发挥有限作用，然而对技术创新（尤其是人工智能）的执念，将可持续发展目标与手段所涉及的必要社会决策掩盖并去政治化为纯粹技术问题，从而实质上阻碍了真实有效的社会转型进程。