Economy, Innovation and Artificial Intelligence

Nº154 JANUARY 2026

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the economy. It has accelerated the role of innovation in economic growth by introducing tools that optimise productivity, enable companies to adapt more quickly to market changes and maximise returns. In agriculture and industry, for example, it can help lower operating costs and improve efficiency.

This essay explores the links between economics and innovation via the «quintuple helix» model: academia, business, government, civil society and the environment. Approaching AI as a catalyst driving change, it identifies structural weaknesses that currently obstruct innovation from contributing to sustainable economic development in Portugal.