The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Natural Resource Management: Issues of Transparency and Efficiency

Natural resources can generate significant wealth for a country by supporting livelihoods, food security, and the green economy, as well as producing trade and entrepreneurship at the local, national, and global levels. However, due to the massive amounts of revenue at stake, the extractives sector is frequently associated with weak governance and corruption. One of the core paradigms constituting the research is resource rent. The high rents created by natural resource earnings encourage rent-seeking, corruption, and favoritism, which can lead to poor and inequitable investment and spending practices. The article represents an attempt to trace patterns of dependencies between natural resources, sustainable use factors within the domain of social welfare, and national financial security. Based on thematic analysis and employing cases, the study suggests implementing AI in public administration to reduce shadowing and inefficient use of resources. In particular, the case of AI usage to combat deforestation is analyzed. Particular emphasis is also made on stakeholders’ interests and decentralized arrangements of natural resource governance. It was revealed that the power relationships among stakeholders may have a big influence on how well governance frameworks for managing natural resources work.