Results from AI Company Data Initiative (AICDI), produced by Thomson Reuters Foundation and developed with UNESCO, reveal a wide gap between AI adoption and its governance, meaning companies are deploying AI far faster than they are managing its risks.
AICDI also identifies a critical blind spot on the environmental side: 97% of companies did not assess the environmental impact of their AI systems, including their energy use or carbon footprint.
Key takeaways:
· While many firms describe their AI as “ethical,” “trustworthy” or “secure,” almost none connect AI deployment with rising electricity demand, emissions, or climate commitments.
· While 76% of companies with an AI strategy say AI is overseen at the management level, only 41% make their AI policies accessible to employees or require them to acknowledge those policies.
· Companies in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) lead in publishing AI strategies, with 53% reporting one, largely driven by the EU AI Act. Yet even in Europe, the environmental impacts of AI, including energy use and emissions, are still rarely included in AI governance disclosures.
