CONTRIBUTIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN TARABA STATE, NIGERIA

The paper determined the Contributions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Environmental Management for Sustainable Development in Taraba State, Nigeria. The field of AI is developing rapidly, revealing the potential for AI to advance human rights, improve labour conditions, protect the environment and prevent corruption. AI’s ability to identify patterns and automate decision-making can dramatically increase efficiency, reduce waste and enhance monitoring and reporting across environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts. AI is already delivering measurable environmental benefits across energy, conservation, pollution control, and waste management. One research question and one hypothesis guided the study. Survey research design was adopted for the study since it sought human opinions on the study. The population of the study was 746 lecturers in Federal Tertiary institutions in Taraba State, Nigeria. The sample of the study was 224 selected through the simple random sampling technique. Questionnaire was the instrument used for the collection of data and it was validated by three experts. The reliability index for the study was 0.82 tested through the Cronbach Alpha procedure. The data was collected by the researchers and two research assistants. Mean and Standard deviation were used to analyse data collected on the research questions while t-test was used to test the hypothesis. The study found that AI aids in optimizing the use of renewable energy sources, AI aids in developing more effective strategies for disaster risk reduction, tracking deforestation in real time, cutting energy waste in buildings and data centers, protecting wildlife from poaching, sorting waste faster than humans can and reducing water loss in cities the carbon cost of itself. The findings also revealed that by leveraging AI, farmers can optimize irrigation, by leveraging AI, farmers can reduce fertilizer use and minimize waste, leading to more sustainable agricultural practices. The hypothesis tested was accepted. The study recommended among other that AI-powered precision farming techniques should be used to enable farmers to monitor soil conditions, weather patterns, and crop health with unprecedented accuracy.