Abstract
Efficient resource use requires substantial evaluation and re-evaluation of production processes. Since not all production details can be properly and timely monitored and adjusted, improvement of resource allocation has long been a critical issue in commodity production, technique selection, and sustainable development. The progress of artificial intelligence (AI) offers a possibility. For example, with deep learning techniques and extensive data analysis, most previously unincorporated or unknown information associated with a firm's activities can be appropriately reflected and calculated. Once the firms take the report, a more efficient and economically friendly production strategy could be made. The central theme of this special collection is to invite studies on how the design and application of AI benefit not only the fields of computer science and information engineering but also the interdisciplinary fields, including renewable energy development, environmental protection, and economic analysis. Fourteen papers are published in this special collection.