AI Barometer: Business and sustainability – insights from French and UK companies

The AI for Sustainability Institute at ESSCA, in partnership with Forvis Mazars France, today publishes the results of its first barometer on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in European companies and its impact on sustainability. Based on responses from 400 IT managers across Europe, the study explores the use and management of AI, sustainability challenges, ethical considerations and future prospects.

Impact of AI on business sustainability

The study reveals that 55% of European companies see AI as having a positive impact on their sustainable development. Nearly 8 out of 10 IT managers believe that AI will have either a positive or neutral impact on their company's sustainability, despite some academic research highlighting potential negative effects.

"Most companies have already started using AI to achieve sustainability goals (only 15% have not). However, it is interesting to note that the use of AI for environmental goals takes a back seat to societal challenges." (Dejan Glavas)

Ethical considerations and risks

The surveyed companies attach great importance to transparency in AI-related decision-making processes (25%), data protection (20%) and AI bias (15%). However, issues such as the social impact of job losses and CO2 emissions are less prioritised.

The risks highlighted by IT managers often relate to existing problems that will be exacerbated by AI, such as data management (29%). Businesses still underestimate the new challenges that AI integration brings, such as system bias, AI hallucinations, human-machine interactions and the need for human oversight. In addition, 18% of companies have had to adjust or stop AI projects for ethical reasons.

Laurent Inard, partner at Forvis Mazars, notes differences between French and UK companies:

"The results of this barometer are all the more interesting considering that only 18% of French companies say they are prepared to manage disruptions and risks related to AI, compared to 34% of UK companies. Furthermore, 29% of French respondents consider their company to be completely unprepared, compared to only 15% of UK respondents."

Challenges and opportunities

Despite the perceived benefits of AI on business performance (50% of respondents), barriers to AI adoption remain: financial constraints (14%), integration challenges with existing systems (12%), inadequate strategies (11%) and lack of skilled personnel (9%).