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The EdX AI survey found that many C-suite leaders are concerned about how their companies are utilising artificial intelligence in ongoing efforts to reach future sustainability targets.
AI and sustainability are of key concern to global knowledge workers and C-suite personnel, according to a new report by education platform EdX.
EdX, in partnership with thought leadership and research agency Workplace Intelligence, gathered information from 2,400 global full-time employees, including 600 C-suite executives, in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, India, Singapore and Mexico.
Corporate sustainability has become a major concern for many businesses, as the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive detail what is necessary to protect the planet and its more than 8bn inhabitants.
As companies are increasingly expected to strategise and implement sustainable practices, in an effort to address issues such as the climate crisis and mass global inequality, 76pc of responding C-suite professionals said they are feeling significant pressure from their stakeholders to focus on sustainability.
AI technologies have the potential to greatly impact many of the world’s most pressing issues, for example in the areas of waste disposal, climate action, education, healthcare and food instability. Three-quarters of the C-suite respondents believe their companies are unlikely to meet their sustainability targets without AI, while 96pc of those at companies who already use AI say that it has already improved their progress.
Pushing the needle on sustainability
More than half (53pc) of responding C-suite employees expressed embarrassment at their company’s efforts to engage with sustainability practices, with three out of four explaining that challenges such as poor data collection infrastructure, low skillset among those leading sustainability efforts and limited knowledge on tracking and prioritising, were barriers to success.
The survey also indicated a clear disparity between C-suite and non-executive experiences with AI, as 72pc of C-suite respondents stated they have engaged with training in relation to how AI can support sustainability, compared to just 30pc of responding non-executives.
“Learning and development programmes that offer training on the points of connection between sustainability and AI will be essential in building the skills needed for the future,” said Dan Schawbel, managing partner for Workplace Intelligence.
“While it’s promising that many executives have already begun to further their knowledge on this topic, leaders need to take their teams along with them if they want to drive meaningful progress.”
This was echoed by the head of EdX for business, Andy Morgan, who said the report “underscores the growing influence of AI on business sustainability efforts”.
“As companies navigate the dual challenges of sustainability and AI adoption, it’s essential that the workforce not only develops technical skills like machine learning and data analytics, but also a deeper understanding of business policy and sustainability frameworks.”
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