Are artificial intelligence and blockchain the key to unlocking the box of clean energy?

The fourth industrial revolution has brought about key technological breakthroughs represented by artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain (BC), which provide an opportunity for the development of clean energy (CE). We employ a wavelet-based quantile-on-quantile approach to investigate the correlation among AI, BC and CE over different periods and time horizons. The results show that although the integration of AI and CE systems requires a lot of time, it can significantly boost CE development in the long run. However, BC cannot significantly promote CE development except for a few extreme periods. Our results are supported by the mechanism of interaction among AI, BC and CE development, which highlights their relationship. Therefore, the government should focus on promoting the development of new information technologies and their integration with the CE system, which is crucial for the implementation of energy transition strategies. In addition, low-carbon investors should focus on these technologies because of their relationship with CE.