Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the global economy, changing how people work, how products are built, and how much energy and water we use. Choices made now about how AI is developed, deployed, and powered will help determine whether it strengthens or undermines human rights, democratic institutions, and a healthy planet.
Many of these choices rest with governments, whose laws and oversight are essential to protect people from AI’s harms and ensure its benefits are broadly shared. Companies and investors cannot replace that role, but we have our own responsibilities. As investors, we can push companies to do better and support policies that hold them accountable.
“AI is now part of nearly every industry, so understanding its risks and benefits has become central to how we evaluate companies. Our goal is to help shape an AI economy in which innovation advances alongside human rights, environmental stewardship, and broadly shared benefits.”
Lionella Pezza, Director of Impact Research
That is why AI was a focus of our engagement this quarter, from workers whose roles are changing to the human rights safeguards, supply chains, and energy behind the technology. It is also why we have strengthened our research with new criteria for evaluating companies whose main business is AI.
What’s Inside:
- Aligning workforce strategy with AI integration: What we’re asking 30 companies about their plans for workers as they invest in AI, including reskilling, job quality, and giving employees a say in how AI is used
- Reducing emissions across chip manufacturing supply chains: Why AI is driving up emissions from chipmaking, and how we’re encouraging five semiconductor companies in the Domini Funds to source cleaner electricity and address their largest emissions sources
- Advancing human rights due diligence in tech: Our conversation with Microsoft, alongside more than 25 other investors, about putting its human rights commitments into practice, including reviewing higher-risk contracts and protecting employees who raise concerns
- Ensuring data center growth supports the clean energy transition: Why the power behind new data centers matters for the climate and household electricity bills, and what we’re asking developers to prioritize as they grow
- New AI KPIs strengthen our impact research: The new criteria we use to evaluate companies whose main business is AI, from developers of AI models and tools to the data centers and cloud services that run them
- Fund investment highlights: Examples of companies in the Domini Funds’ portfolios that are responsibly approaching AI skills training, supply chain emissions reductions, human rights due diligence, and clean energy for data centers