It’s no secret that sustainability has become a top priority for many organisations. With 90% of executives thinking sustainability is important, it’s becoming an increasingly significant topic of conversation in organisations’ boardrooms of all sizes. Senior executives are looking at tackling these challenges using technology and with AI rising to the top of the agenda for many organisations, it’s becoming important to make this technology sustainable.
Robert Cottrill, our Technology Director at ANS, takes us through the increasing focus on sustainable technology. He explores the role of AI in sustainability and how organisations can ensure they are using the technology sustainably.
AI and the environment
AI has taken organisations by storm with promises of boosting productivity and creating millions of new jobs. However, its impact on the environment remains a grey area. Researchers and organisations alike have raised environmental concerns about the technology. For instance, AI has the potential to consume large amounts of energy if not used efficiently. It’s important business leaders need to make sure they know how to use AI effectively, not just to cut costs but also reach sustainability objectives.
How is AI helping the environment?
Looking towards the future, AI can provide many positive uses that benefit the environment. This can range from monitoring traffic to reduce congestion to providing AI-infused clean distributed energy grids. There’s no question that AI can be put to good use to achieve net zero goals.
A recent report by PWC found that using AI for environmental applications is capable of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by around 1.5-4.0% by 2030.
AI has the potential to also significantly help industries that currently account for a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, such as energy and transport. Utilising AI can therefore reduce environmental harm as it can be used to optimise performance within these industries, enabling more sustainable operations.
Making sure your organisation is embracing AI sustainably
It’s imperative for to understand how to use AI to ensure that it becomes a help rather than a hindrance in achieving their environmental goals.
Partnering with technology providers can be a massive help for organisations. Managers can collaborate with AI and sustainability experts to understand the best ways to adopt AI sustainably for their specific organisation. Specialists can provide unique insights that managers may benefit from, especially given the newness and constantly evolving nature of AI.
The potential for sustainable AI
Business leaders need to make sure that they are thinking about sustainability and AI collaboratively, rather than as separate entities. By doing this they can better understand how the two can work together, allowing their businesses to be competitive in performance while also having good ESG credentials.
To do this, collaborating with tech consultants can be transformational to ensure AI adoption aligns with sustainable technology strategies to achieve their net zero goals. As a result, businesses will be able to take advantage of improved performance while also reducing their impact on the environment. If businesses can balance the benefits of AI with environmental responsibility, the technology has the potential to become a game-changer for sustainability initiatives.
