Eco-Business: Responsible investment’s AI trilemma – emissions, job losses and inequality
- noemieviterale
- Nov 25
- 1 min read
Investors who fail to assess and mitigate the potential harms of adopting Artificial Intelligence cannot credibly call themselves “responsible”.
By Steven Okun, Megan Willis, Noemie Viterale
Nov. 12, 2025
Artificial Intelligence (AI) did not exist when more than 5,000 private capital firms signed on to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), set up with the United Nations 20 years ago.
Investors have yet to fully extend their responsibility mandate to the way their investee companies adopt and deploy AI.
If they want to continue claiming to differentiate themselves as responsible, and not just as investors, they must do so – and sooner rather than later. Literally every business will eventually incorporate AI. To not do so would mean missing out on all the efficiency and productivity gains.
But those investment gains will come with societal loss.
We are already witnessing how adopting AI forces trade-offs from the benefits businesses receive from increased productivity. For investors who call themselves responsible, the test will be how to ensure the adoption of AI while mitigating harm from job losses, increases in income inequality, and the drain on carbon and water resources.
Those that fail to consider those harms and forego steps to mitigate them will be no different from any other investor that pumps capital into investment with no thought given to societal impacts – which could eventually catch-up with them financially.
