Integrating Artificial Intelligence, Human Creativity, and Sustainable Innovation in the Textile Industry of Pakistan

Abstract

This study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and human creativity jointly influence sustainable innovation among textile manufacturing firms in Pakistan, a sector that remains the country's largest source of export earnings and industrial employment. Rapid automation, digital design tools, and predictive analytics are reshaping production processes, yet the extent to which these technologies complement, rather than replace, human creative capacity in driving environmentally and economically sustainable innovation is not well understood in the local context. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional design, data were collected from managerial and technical staff working in textile firms clustered in Faisalabad, Karachi, and Lahore, using validated scales for AI adoption, human creativity, and sustainable innovation. Reliability, descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses were conducted. The findings indicate that both AI adoption and human creativity are significant positive predictors of sustainable innovation, and that human creativity strengthens the relationship between AI adoption and sustainable innovation outcomes. Firms that pair digital capability with employee creative input report stronger gains in resource efficiency, product novelty, and environmental compliance than firms relying on technology alone. The study recommends that textile policymakers and firm managers invest jointly in AI infrastructure and creativity-enabling work environments, such as cross-functional design teams and innovation training, to accelerate sustainable transformation of the sector.