Takeaways
- AI has potential in sustainability applications, but it does not yet fully replicate human reasoning on complex environmental and social issues.
- Research comparing AI responses to human stakeholder views found varying levels of alignment.
- AI can identify broad sustainability trends, but lacks consistency in ranking priorities across different sectors.
- Trust and ethical concerns, such as bias and stakeholder representation, must be addressed before AI can be a reliable sustainability advisor.
- AI-human collaboration will be key to future sustainability efforts, balancing technological efficiency with human judgment and ethical considerations.
Summary
Artificial intelligence is being explored as a tool for sustainability, offering potential solutions in areas such as environmental monitoring, climate-conscious investing, and resource conservation. However, AI’s ability to "think" about sustainability remains questionable, as human perspectives on the issue are complex and often divided.
Research conducted by Isabel Fischer and her colleagues analyzed how generative AI models—such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Claude—prioritize sustainability issues compared to human stakeholders from sectors including business, public policy, NGOs, and education.
Findings showed that AI models varied significantly in their alignment with human perspectives. Gemini demonstrated the strongest correlation with human stakeholders, particularly in the public sector, while other models such as Claude and Copilot showed inconsistencies. AI models often failed to accurately rank lower-priority sustainability issues, and their reasoning lacked nuance compared to human judgment.
The study highlights that while AI can process vast amounts of data, it struggles to grasp the deeper ethical, social, and political aspects of sustainability. Trust remains a significant concern, as AI-generated insights might misrepresent stakeholder priorities or fail to capture the full scope of sustainability challenges.
While AI can assist with sustainability efforts, it is not yet capable of replacing human reasoning in this domain. Future advancements in AI ethics, training, and contextual awareness may improve its reliability, but for now, human leadership remains crucial in driving meaningful sustainability progress.
