Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Responsible Digital Technology: 5 key challenges for your business

As digital transformation keeps disrupting societies, it has become essential to examine the environmental and societal impact of technological innovations.

Artificial intelligence (AI)—and more specifically, generative artificial intelligence (GAI), capable of producing text, images, or code—has been among the most significant advancements in recent years.

However, this rapid evolution comes with increased resource consumption (raw materials and energy) for the production and operation of digital infrastructures.

The declaration from the Global AI Summit reminds us of the imperative to “make AI sustainable for people and the planet” by assessing its impact on humans and the environment.

It notably proposes “creating an observatory on AI’s energy effects with the International Energy Agency” and recommends promoting energy-efficient AI innovations. This initiative highlights the importance of managing AI’s environmental footprint while fostering more sustainable technological solutions.
Moreover, this technology could reshape our relationships within society and with others, raising questions about its social impact.

In this context, Responsible Digital Technology is establishing itself as a strategic framework to align technological innovation, operational efficiency, and environmental responsibility. It is structured around four complementary pillars:

• Green for IT : reducing the environmental footprint of digital systems and infrastructures;
• IT for Green : leveraging digital technologies to enable ecological transition;
• Human for IT : mitigating negative societal impacts of digital technology ;
• IT for Human : bridging the digital divide and fostering inclusion.

Through this lens, the AI revolution generates key challenges for businesses. Our experts break down the five main challenges companies need to address.
 

Choosing AI tools that are adapted and sustainable 

One of the first challenges for companies is selecting AI solutions that align with their specific needs while considering their environmental and energy impact. Each AI technology has distinct characteristics in terms of:

• Relevance to the company’s activities;
• Performance;
• Energy consumption;
• Compatibility with existing infrastructures.

It is crucial to adopt a measurable and transparent approach to infrastructure impact, such as the ability to quantify energy consumption, associated emissions, data volumes processed, and even raw materials used.

These indicators help justify technological choices to stakeholders and the public by providing measurable data on the environmental impact of adopted tools.
 

Identifying high-value use cases

According to a study published by Cornell University, GPT-3 consumes about half a liter of water to generate 10 to 50 responses. In light of such figures, companies must identify concrete use cases where AI can deliver genuine added value to avoid unnecessary resource consumption.

This requires understanding needs and objectives by: 

• Analyzing internal processes;
• Identifying where AI can automate tasks
• Enhancing productivity;
• Creating new opportunities.

Within a responsible digital approach, businesses must ask themselves which use cases bring the most added value.

“What use case will deliver the highest return on investment (ROI)?” and “How can we avoid unnecessary resource consumption?” are among the first questions to address.
 

Training teams for responsabile and controlled use

The digital divide remains a major challenge within companies, exacerbated by the rapid arrival of advanced technologies like generative AI. It is becoming necessary to train and raise awareness among teams so they can adopt these technologies, build skills, and develop responsible practices.

Concrete actions can include:

• Immersive workshops to strengthen employees’ skills;
• Targeted training to use AI responsibly.

These efforts support smoother and more sustainable adoption of innovative tools.

Élaborer une charte éthique pour l'IA

AI is transforming how we work by automating repetitive tasks, supporting decision-making, and optimizing productivity.

For example: automated meeting note-taking.

With AI tools that can transcribe and summarize discussions, employees can focus more on interaction and critical thinking rather than on writing.

However, this raises critical questions:
--> Should human validation always be required?
--> Who holds responsibility?

To address these issues, an ethical charter is essential. It should outline the guidelines to ensure a balance between technological efficiency and respect for human values within the company.

Leveraging AI to reduce Environmental footprint

AI can become a powerful driver for reducing a company’s environmental footprint by optimizing resource use and enabling more sustainable process management. As part of “AI for Green” initiatives, it can help to:

• Optimize energy consumption
• Reduce emissions and waste
• Design innovative services that promote sustainable practices

Today, IT departments (CIOs) stand at the intersection of the intelligence revolution and environmental and ethical challenges.

RSM supports its clients by providing expertise tailored to the five challenges outlined above. We help you select and implement responsible AI solutions, define high-value use cases, raise team awareness, and optimize processes for sustainability.

RSM offers a customized approach for each company, considering its industry, challenges, and strategic goals. Our experts can also advise on specific issues through in-depth analysis to ensure your digital transformation aligns with the principles of responsible digital technology.