Signal Quantifying AI impact in energy transitions: The Energy Justice Impact Assessment (EJIA) framework

Summary

The paper notes that AI deployed across energy systems changes how benefits and burdens are distributed and whose needs are represented, with consequences for energy justice that are rarely quantified. A PRISMA review of 26 peer-reviewed AI impact assessment frameworks finds that most address a single impact dimension and only three provide quantifiable indicators. Although 21 reference justice implications, only two operationalize justice-relevant constructs through measurable indicators. The authors introduce the Energy Justice Impact Assessment framework, crossing four AI lifecycle stages with three energy-justice tenets: distributional, recognition and procedural. Indicators are measured separately per affected stakeholder group and assessed against a counterfactual. An example application to an AI-based demand-side response system in social housing demonstrates its use.