Digital mirage of sustainability: Algorithmic greenwashing and informational asymmetries in the Brazilian beef supply chain

This article critically examines the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the sustainability governance of the beef supply chain, analyzing how the unequal distribution of these technologies influences sustainability governance and contributes to the production of selective transparency regimes associated with structural greenwashing in Brazilian agribusiness. Through a case study conducted in Southwestern Mato Grosso, using methodological triangulation (document analysis, semi-structured interviews with rural producers, unions, training institutions, and institutional agents, as well as a survey with 131 consumers), the research identifies a gap between the “digital symbolism” present in the downstream stages of the supply chain and the operational reality of the productive base. The results indicate that the robustness of sanitary control systems does not translate into the effective integration of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria throughout the supply chain, producing selective transparency regimes and informational asymmetries. The findings suggest dynamics associated with structural greenwashing, as evidenced by the coexistence of certification and traceability mechanisms alongside the limited incorporation of verifiable socio-environmental criteria at the productive base. In addition, a technological asymmetry was identified in which AI-related narratives and digital devices tend to operate as mechanisms of legitimation in processing, retail, and export segments, while remaining largely absent from upstream stages of the chain, providing evidence compatible with algorithmic greenwashing by omission. The study concludes that consolidating more sustainable supply chains depends on reducing traceability gaps and expanding technological inclusion in the productive base.