Artificial Intelligence in Global Libraries: Pathways and Policies for Sustainable Development

This study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) is progressively reshaping library around the world including Asia and Republic of China, focusing on new possibilities, ongoing limitations, and regulatory approaches linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Employing a systematic literature review and a chronologically framed comparative analysis of peer-reviewed articles, policy texts, and institutional reports from 2019 to 2025, the research identifies four distinct stages of AI integration: Early Infrastructure (2019), Crisis-Driven Uptake (2020–2021), Emergent Generative AI (2022-2023), and Deliberate Mainstreaming (2024-2025). Results show that AI applications such as automated classification tools, interactive chatbots, analytics dashboards, and smart physical systems have markedly improved user services, broadened information access, and reinforced operational resilience, directly advancing SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). However, major obstacles remain, among them algorithmic prejudice, disputed data ownership, labor disruption, environmental costs of AI computing, and uneven advancement across SDG targets. A side‑by‑side cross‑national assessment indicates that China’s centralized, state‑directed approach enables rapid infrastructure rollout and broad replication, while many Western nations emphasize ethical oversight, social equity, and ecological accountability a priority set that often slows deployment. Integrating insights from both paradigms, the paper proposes an SDG‑consistent policy framework centered on layered governance, built‑in ethical checks, institutional skill‑building, and eco‑responsible AI operations. This research extends current theory by explicitly linking AI‑enabled library change with sustainability debates and offers concrete recommendations for policymakers, library leaders, and global agencies overseeing AI’s long‑term function in knowledge institutions.