The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Sustainable Consumer Behaviors: A Trusttech Perspective

Abstract

In the current landscape, marked by an increasing demand for sustainable practices and responsible consumption, businesses across retail and e-commerce face the challenge of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into marketing in a way that genuinely supports environmental and social goals. This paper investigates how AI technologies, viewed through a TrustTech framework, can shape sustained, sustainable consumer purchasing behaviors and how AI-driven recommendation systems affect trust building and eco-friendly purchasing decisions. The main objective of this study is to systematically review the literature on the intersection of AI, TrustTech, and sustainable consumer behavior, guided by three specific research questions (RQs). A Systematic Literature Review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, searching the Web of Science and Scopus databases for the period 2020 to 2026. The review specifically targeted peer-reviewed academic articles to ensure scientific rigor, analyzing 32 full-text studies out of an initial 347 records. The analysis shows that AI exerts both positive and negative effects on sustainable consumption. On one hand, AI enhances consumer cognitive and affective engagement through behavioral nudges and personalized analytics. On the other hand, concerns over unethical data manipulation, algorithmic bias, and greenwashing erode consumer trust. TrustTech, particularly Explainable AI built on decentralized verification, transforms passive environmental attitudes into sustained pro-environmental behavior. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first research to simultaneously address the AI, marketing, and sustainable consumption nexus, identifying an unexplored AI and TrustTech gap and proposing an interdisciplinary sustainable business model integrating One Health emerging frameworks. The findings offer practical guidance for businesses, marketers, and policymakers to design responsible AI initiatives that balance the responsible use of AI with consumer protection and sustainable development goals.