GenAI for Sustainable Development: An Inductive Analysis of International Organizations

Generative AI (GenAI) presents significant potential to address sustainability challenges. By offering solutions for resource efficiency, strategic decision-making, and aligning practices with sustainable development goals (SDGs), GenAI enables organizations to harmonize environmental preservation, economic growth, and societal values. Despite its promise, achieving sustainability with GenAI requires a holistic approach that considers its life cycle, including design, training, validation, implementation, and use, to address energy consumption and resource efficiency challenges. Existing research provides limited insight into the processes and strategies organizations use to integrate GenAI effectively for sustainable development. We bridge the gap by conducting an exploratory case study examining the influence of GenAI on sustainable development within international organizations. The findings aim to enhance understanding of GenAI’s dual role in driving sustainability efforts and ensuring its own sustainable implementation, contributing to environmentally and socially responsible organizational practices.