Artificial Intelligence, Digital Platforms and the Metaverse in Sustainable Food Systems

Jan Polcyn

doi:10.34021/ve.2025.08.03(1)

Authors

Jan Polcyn Stanisław Staszic State University of Applied Sciences in Pila, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7847-2743

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34021/ve.2025.08.03(1)

Keywords:

digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, digital platforms, sustainable food systems, virtual economy, metaverse

Abstract

The digital transformation of agriculture and food systems is becoming an important component of broader structural changes associated with the development of the digital and virtual economy. Rapid advances in artificial intelligence, digital platforms and immersive virtual technologies are reshaping agricultural production, food supply chains and mechanisms of coordination within global food systems. Although previous studies have examined precision agriculture, digital farming and platform-based food markets, the combined role of artificial intelligence, digital platforms and emerging virtual environments in the transformation of sustainable food systems remains insufficiently conceptualised. The aim of this editorial is to analyse how artificial intelligence, digital platforms and metaverse-related technologies contribute to the development of sustainable food systems within the broader framework of the virtual economy and the Sustainable Development Goals. The analysis is based on a conceptual synthesis of recent academic literature on digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, platform economies and sustainability transitions in agri-food systems. The article highlights that artificial intelligence supports data-driven agricultural decision-making and resource optimisation, while digital platforms increasingly restructure agricultural supply chains and coordination mechanisms between producers, intermediaries and consumers. Emerging metaverse-based virtual environments and digital twin technologies also create new opportunities for modelling and managing complex agricultural ecosystems. At the same time, the diffusion of digital technologies raises important governance challenges related to data management, platform regulation and digital inequalities in rural areas. The editorial concludes by outlining directions for future interdisciplinary research on the economic, technological and institutional dimensions of digital transformation in sustainable food systems.

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