AI Company Data Initiative drives transparency on corporate AI adoption

As the private sector embraces artificial intelligence, there is little data on how companies are deploying AI tools across businesses, operations and services.

Nearly half of organisations have invested in new AI-powered technology in the last 12 months, and 53% report already seeing return on investment, according to research by Thomson Reuters.

However, a lack of transparency – such as on where and how AI is being used within companies, and the datasets it is trained on – could undermine trust in this transformative technology and its potential to be used for good.

Open for submissions from today, 7 July 2025, the AI Company Data Initiative (AICDI) aims to overcome this by building a global dataset on corporate AI adoption.

Bridging the gap with the AI Company Data Initiative

Through a free voluntary survey, the Initiative supports businesses in all sectors to map and benchmark how AI is being used across their products, operations and services.

The survey has been developed in partnership with UNESCO, AI experts and companies. It is grounded in UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, the first global standard on AI ethics.

Identifying business risk and opportunity

While the rapid adoption of AI creates myriad opportunities for the private sector, it poses significant risks to people, society, the environment, and human rights.

In 2024, the Foundation’s Workforce Disclosure Initiative found that only a quarter of participating companies could report on how AI was affecting their workforce, pointing to low awareness of the impact of this technology. The AICDI has been developed to give companies greater oversight of how and where AI is being used, and its effect on the business.

The survey guides companies through a comprehensive audit of AI adoption, supporting them to identify and mitigate risk factors including:

Human oversight and governance
Environmental impact
Workforce implications
Data privacy, security and bias
AI strategy and governance
Procurement and deployment of AI systems.

Taking part in the AICDI allows organisations to get ahead of potential risks, benchmark their progress, and prepare for incoming regulation, while positioning themselves as frontrunners on AI transparency.

Data insights for investors

Many investors report challenges in accessing data on AI use.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation will partner with Lenox Park Solutions to advance the AICDI across the United States. This collaboration leverages Lenox Park’s established network among major institutional investors, including pension funds, foundations, and endowments. The partnership combines the Foundation’s data insights with Lenox Park Solutions’ expertise in impact investing standards. Together, we will drive enhanced corporate disclosure and accountability on AI adoption from companies nationwide.

Data and trends from the Initiative will also be shared with the Foundation’s investor signatory network, equipping institutional investors with insights to identify risks and opportunities for their portfolios.

The AI Company Data Initiative will operate in tandem with the Foundation’s Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI), developing data intelligence that supports the private sector to foster more responsible business practices.