Research conducted across more than 650 global organisations has highlighted a significant advantage for companies that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their sustainability efforts. According to a new report by The Brightline Initiative, a thinktank affiliated with the Project Management Institute, the likelihood of corporate sustainability success is three times higher when AI is employed to reduce environmental footprints.
The report, titled Sustainability in the Age Of AI: The Integration Imperative, champions greater adoption of automation within both corporate and public sectors to identify climate-positive initiatives such as optimising energy use. Organisations already embracing AI and sustainability simultaneously, classified as ‘leaders’ by the report, have achieved an average emissions reduction of 26%. In comparison, ‘laggards’, which tend to address AI and environmental matters as separate concerns, have managed only a 3% reduction in emissions on average.
While the findings highlight AI’s role as a powerful accelerator in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) progress, the report clarifies that “AI is not a silver bullet, but it is a catalyst,” emphasising the importance of strategic reinvestment to maintain sustained and ongoing improvements.
The promise of AI for climate-related advances was further demonstrated earlier this year when Polaron, a company that has developed an AI system capable of halving testing and development times from decades to mere years, won the £1 million Manchester Prize. Polaron’s technology has already facilitated the discovery of a new nickel manganese cobalt oxide battery material suitable for electric vehicles (EVs), achieving roughly a 10% reduction in battery density and weight, which could enhance EV efficiency and performance.
Despite these benefits, there remain concerns about the energy consumption associated with AI systems. Increased computational demand adds complexity to national efforts, such as in the UK, where automation is being deployed to improve efficiency even as the country strives toward net zero carbon emissions.
The Environmental Journal Online is reporting these developments amid growing interest in how digital technologies and sustainability strategies intersect to shape the future of corporate environmental responsibility.
Source: Noah Wire Services