A bibliometric examination of the relationship between artificial intelligence and economic growth

The rapid progress in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and digitalization processes is driving fundamental transformations in the economic structures and systems of nations. By automating business processes and enhancing productivity, AI not only increases efficiency but also catalyzes structural changes across various sectors by fostering the emergence of new industries. As a primary driver of modern macroeconomic growth, this technology reshapes economic dynamics through its potential to optimize production processes, reduce costs, and provide a competitive advantage in the global arena. This study aims to examine the relationship between artificial intelligence and economic growth through a bibliometric approach. Within the scope of the research, primary trends in the literature, prominent themes, inter-author collaborations, and potential future research areas have been systematically evaluated. The dataset for the study comprises scientific documents such as articles, reviews, and proceedings retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database, which maintains high academic validity. During the analysis phase, professional software such as VOSviewer was utilized to conduct citation analysis, co-authorship mapping, and keyword co-occurrence analyses. Research findings indicate that academic interest in AI and economic growth has gained significant momentum in recent years, with the number of publications peaking at 236 in 2025. Geographic analysis reveals that the People's Republic of China holds a global leadership position in this field, both in terms of publication volume and citation impact (372 citations), followed by the United States and South Africa, respectively. Among the most productive authors, Saba, C.S. and Liu, J. stand out, while at the institutional level, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Bucharest University of Economic Studies are among the top contributors. According to the thematic analysis results, studies are predominantly concentrated in the categories of "Economics" and "Environmental Sciences." In particular, the intersection of AI with sustainability, green growth, and the Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) constitutes the most vibrant research area in the literature. In conclusion, this thesis presents the impacts of artificial intelligence on economic growth from a holistic perspective and suggests that future studies should focus on fields such as labor force transformation and ethical governance.