Exploring artificial intelligence in the circular blue economy

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important, with applications varying from sector to sector due to its adaptability. Its most common uses range from generating clean energy to monitoring data to analyse the surrounding ecosystem and mitigating pollution damage. In the circular economy, the potential of AI could be harnessed to accelerate sustainable transactions by integrating it into design, business models and infrastructure optimisation. Thanks to its generative capabilities, AI can significantly contribute to reducing the impact of human activities on the environment by addressing challenges related to unsustainable production. In this respect, the circular economy proposes models that contribute to value creation through cycles of reuse, restoration and renewability. This work, therefore, aims to investigate the state of the art of scientific research in the area of the circular economy in general and, with a specific focus on applications in the context of the Blue Economy, highlighting the uses, advantages and opportunities that the use of these systems brings to the Blue Economy sectors. The methodology adopted consists of a systematic literature review (SLR), aimed at categorising existing scientific contributions extracted from the Scopus database, analysing the main research trends and identifying the most relevant practical applications, and identifying future insights to encourage the adoption of AI within the Blue Economy. The results of this study highlight the limited presence of studies on the application of artificial intelligence in the context of the Blue Economy, and research is fragmented and spread across different disciplinary areas. However, the maritime sector has stood out for its strong interest in technology adoption from a scientific research perspective. This study, therefore, provides theoretical implications for academics by identifying the knowledge gap and providing guidelines for future research, and managerial implications for all stakeholders in the blue economy who want to know how to integrate the use of AI into their processes. Finally, the focus on this as yet under-researched area lends the study a character of originality and scientific relevance.