Artificial Intelligence in Integrated Disaster Risk Management: Sustainability and Human Security in the Republic of Serbia

The Republic of Serbia has formally committed to integrating sustainability principles into its development framework, implementing them in accordance with the sustainable development principles of the European Union and the United Nations. The objective is to establish a balance between economic growth, environmental protection, social inclusion, and institutional resilience. The National Sustainable Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia (NSDS) is a strategic public policy document adopted by the Government in 2008. This strategy represents the first comprehensive framework for integrating economic development, environmental protection, and social cohesion into a unified, long-term development vision. Although the NSDS formally expired in 2017, its principles continue to influence the formulation of public policy. This paper analyzes the implementation of sustainability principles in Serbia from the perspective of human security, with an emphasis on protecting citizens and communities from economic, environmental, health, food, and institutional risks. The analysis identifies significant implementation gaps in which formal sustainability policies fail to sufficiently reduce vulnerability, exposure, and inequality. Weak coordination among environmental, health, social, and infrastructure policies limits the effectiveness of sustainability principles in human security, particularly for vulnerable social groups and at-risk regions. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers substantial potential to overcome these shortcomings by enabling anticipatory, data-driven, and cross-sectoral governance. The application of AI can enhance environmental monitoring, health risk forecasting, resilience of energy and infrastructure systems, social vulnerability mapping, and the assessment of public policy impacts. However, AI achieves its full potential only when used as a decision-support instrument integrated into institutional processes, supported by interoperable data systems, ethical safeguards, and continuous human oversight. Based on these insights, the paper proposes an AI-based governance architecture for improving sustainability in Serbia. This conceptual governance model is designed as an integrative and adaptive framework, grounded in human security principles, that aims to reduce the risks posed by natural and other hazards through real-time data-driven decision-making and strengthened institutional coordination.