Title: Jekyll and Hyde: The Dual Role of Disruptive Technologies in Sustainability
Subtitle: 
Resource URL: https://www.forrester.com/blogs/jekyll-and-hyde-the-dual-role-of-disruptive-technologies-in-sustainability/
Publication Date: 2025-07-18
Format Type: Blog Post
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Contributors: Craig Clair;Renee Taylor-Huot;Michele Pelino;Paul Miller;Abhijit Sunil;
Source: Forrester
Keywords: [Disruptive Technologies, Environmental Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, Resource Efficiency, Supply Chain Resilience]
Job Profiles: Data Scientist;Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO);Artificial Intelligence Engineer;Supply Chain Manager;Chief Technology Officer (CTO);
Synopsis: In this blog post, Forrester senior analysts Abhijit Sunil, Paul Miller, Craig Le Clair, Renee Taylor-Huot, and Michele Pelino examine how disruptive technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, and autonomous mobility simultaneously challenge and advance environmental sustainability.
Takeaways: [By 2025, six disruptive technologies—automation, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, advanced computing platforms, next-generation data centers, and autonomous mobility—will redefine sustainability strategies, making balanced deployment critical., Consider leveraging automation and artificial intelligence to cut sustainability reporting time by nearly 50 percent through automated data analysis and customized regulatory disclosures., Training a single large-scale AI model can consume as much energy as powering hundreds of homes for a year, underscoring the need to manage water and electricity use in resource-scarce regions., Use Internet of Things sensors to capture real-time environmental key performance indicators (KPIs), enabling agile adjustments to energy and resource inefficiencies., Proactive management of electronic waste, critical raw materials, and supply-chain complexity is essential to unlock the net environmental benefits of extended reality and autonomous mobility initiatives.]
Summary: Disruptive technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, and autonomous mobility present a paradox for environmental sustainability. A recent Forrester report highlights that while these innovations accelerate strategic priorities, they also carry substantial environmental costs—including high computational energy demand, increased electronic waste generation, reliance on critical raw materials, complex supply-chain logistics, and significant infrastructure requirements. Conversely, when deployed strategically, they can improve resource efficiency, support climate resilience, and enable real-time tracking of environmental key performance indicators.

The analysis focuses on six technologies shaping sustainability through 2025: automation and artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, advanced computing platforms, next-generation data centers, extended reality applications, and autonomous mobility solutions. The report examines each technology’s enabling and inhibiting effects, illustrating how artificial intelligence can automate data analysis for sustainability reporting, align disclosures with evolving regulations, forecast climate risks, optimize energy usage, reduce emissions, and reinforce supply-chain resilience.

However, the training and operation of large-scale artificial intelligence models demand significant energy and water consumption, especially problematic in resource-scarce regions. The report advances actionable guidance for corporate leaders, urging them to maximize sustainability gains while carefully managing life-cycle impacts and resource intensity. By balancing scale, maturity, and correct application of disruptive technologies, organizations can achieve resilience, regulatory compliance, and sustainable profitability.
Content: ## Introduction
Disruptive technologies—namely automation, artificial intelligence, and autonomous mobility—simultaneously accelerate progress toward certain strategic objectives and present obstacles to environmental sustainability.

## Sustainability Challenges and Opportunities
### Environmental Drawbacks
These innovations often entail substantial computational requirements, generate increased volumes of electronic waste, depend on scarce raw materials, complicate supply chains, and demand extensive deployment infrastructure.

### Environmental Benefits
Conversely, when implemented judiciously, they can improve energy and resource efficiency, bolster climate resilience and regulatory compliance, enable real-time monitoring of environmental key performance indicators, foster novel sustainable business models and products, and support conservation initiatives.

## The Dual Role of Six Key Technologies
A recent report by Forrester’s senior analysts outlines the dual impact of six pivotal disruptive technologies set to influence sustainability through 2025: automation and artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, advanced computing platforms, next-generation data centers, extended reality applications, and autonomous mobility solutions.

## Spotlight on Artificial Intelligence
### Positive Impacts
Artificial intelligence enhances sustainability reporting by automating extensive data analysis, aligning disclosures with emerging regulatory frameworks, and tailoring communications for diverse stakeholder groups. Beyond reporting, AI models facilitate climate risk forecasting, optimize energy consumption, reduce emissions, and strengthen supply-chain resilience.

### Environmental Concerns
At the same time, training and operating large-scale AI models consume considerable energy and water, raising sustainability concerns—particularly in regions with limited resources.

## Strategic Implications for Business Leaders
As adoption of these disruptive technologies accelerates, sustainability officers and technology executives must balance optimization ambitions with proactive life-cycle management and resource-intensity mitigation. Detailed use cases illustrate how to harness benefits while curbing environmental impact, ensuring organizational resilience, regulatory compliance, and long-term profitability.

## Conclusion
Now is the moment for business leaders to critically assess the maturity, scale, and appropriate application of disruptive technologies to achieve sustainability goals without compromising future viability.