Sustainability professionals are grappling with balancing the positive and negative aspects of their companies’ implementation of artificial intelligence on their climate and sustainability initiatives, with many worried about the environmental impact of the new technology, while also anticipating benefits ranging from AI’s ability to support supply chain management efforts to ESG reporting and regulatory compliance, according to a new survey released by CRM solutions provider Salesforce.

For the study, Salesforce conducted a double-anonymous survey in partnership with research data and analytics technology group YouGov, covering more than 450 sustainability professionals at companies across a range of sectors, in the U.S., Canada and the UK.

The survey comes as the rapid growth of AI by companies globally threatens to challenge corporate carbon emissions reduction efforts, with the IEA estimating that AI-driven data center power usage could double by 2026. Several tech giants, including Microsoft, Google and Amazon, have highlighted increased energy needs to meet the AI-driven growth in data centers as a key challenge to their decarbonization goals over the past few weeks.

The study found that nearly 4 out of 10 respondents reported that they are worried that AI will have a negative impact on sustainability efforts at their organizations, 65% agreed that their company must balance the benefits of AI with its environmental costs and 81% said that reducing the emissions footprint of AI is a priority. At the same time, most also remain optimistic on the benefits of AI, with 58% believing that the benefits outweigh risks for solving the climate crisis, and 57% feeling positive about balancing AI’s benefits with its impact on sustainability.

Overall, the survey found that 55% of sustainability professionals believe that AI’s impact on global sustainability progress will be net positive.

Additionally, the survey found that 49% of respondents have explored the use of AI in their sustainability programs, including 20% who reported already implementing AI, and 29% that are still experimenting with AI in their sustainability initiatives. The top ways sustainability professionals report using AI, according to the study, include improving energy efficiency, carbon emissions modelling, and ensuring compliance with environmental standards and regulations.

Of those already using AI, nearly two thirds (65%) said that it has “transformed their sustainability programs.”

The survey also examined the key challenges facing sustainability professionals in implementing AI, with a lack of knowledge on how AI can be used topping the list at 37%, followed by a lack of budget at 34%, and security and privacy concerns at 34%. Similarly when asked about factors that could help teams to better reach sustainability goals, 52% of respondents cited a need for improved knowledge and skills, followed by training at 45%.

Suzanne DiBianca, EVP and Chief Impact Officer at Salesforce, said:

“Sustainability and AI education and training not only narrows the gap between businesses and their climate goals, but also helps create a culture of learning and innovation.”

Click here to access the survey.