The Knowledge-Commerce Bridge (KCB) Framework: AI-Augmented Library Services for Inclusive Digital Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation towards Viksit Bharat @2047

Abstract India’s Viksit Bharat @2047 vision requires a knowledge-driven digital economy powered by artificial intelligence, inclusive entrepreneurship, FinTech, e-commerce and sustainable practices. Library and Information Science (LIS) institutions remain under-utilised as active intermediaries between knowledge resources and the competencies demanded by the future of work. This paper coins the Knowledge-Commerce Bridge (KCB) Framework—an original, multi-layered LIS model that positions academic and public libraries as AI-enabled hubs for digital-commerce literacy, ethical information services and sustainable innovation. The study adopts a conceptual-constructive design that synthesises LIS theory, digital-economy literature, AI-ethics guidelines and national policy documents (NEP-2020, Digital India, Startup India). The KCB Framework comprises four interdependent layers: (1) Infrastructure and Multilingual Access, (2) AI Knowledge Processing, (3) User-Centric Commerce Services and (4) Ethical-Sustainable Governance. Expected outcomes include reduced information asymmetry for gig workers and micro-entrepreneurs, strengthened academia–industry–startup linkages, and measurable contributions to inclusive growth and the Sustainable Development Goals. The framework is offered as a replicable, emulable blueprint that other institutions can adapt, pilot and scale, thereby leaving a durable mark on both scholarship and practice.