The world’s largest dataset on corporate AI adoption: 100,000 data points, 2,972 companies, 11 sectors, 6 regions.
Overview
Across the global economy, companies are embedding AI into their products, services and operations at a speed that is outpacing the governance frameworks designed to keep it in check. The result is a widening transparency gap – one that creates risk for businesses, workers, investors and society as a whole.
To address this challenge, we partnered with UNESCO to launch the AI Company Data Initiative (AICDI): the world’s largest dataset on corporate AI adoption.
Our findings reveal a consistent and concerning pattern: organisations are eager to adopt AI, but lack the mechanisms to manage its associated risks.
- Nearly 90% of companies have not publicly committed to any named AI governance framework
- Only 13% have a policy to ensure human oversight of AI systems.
- Just 2.3% have a dedicated complaints mechanism for AI-related issues, meaning the majority of companies have no early warning system for workforce risks related to AI.
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What's inside?
To download this free resource, simply click the 'Download' button under ‘Access the report’ and fill in your details to download.
Once downloaded, you will have access to:
- Global findings across 5 themes: strategy, oversight, workforce, ethics and environment, data governance.
- Sector-by-sector and regional trends.
- Sentiment analysis of 15,000+ open-text corporate disclosures.
- 8 company case studies (Vodafone, SAP, Telefónica, TELUS, BASF, Banco Bradesco and more).
- A ready-to-use engagement guide and proxy voting principles to strengthen stewardship on responsible AI.
Who should download this resource?
Organisations looking to:
- Benchmark their AI governance maturity against nearly 3,000 peers across their sectors and regions.
- Identify the specific governance gaps most likely to attract regulatory and investor scrutiny.
- Discover how this global standard-aligned survey can help you to enable greater AI governance.
Investors looking to:
- Gain comparable AI governance data broken down by sector, region and company size.
- Identify risks before governance failures create financial impacts.
- Understand and anticipate where regulatory headwinds are most likely to concentrate.
Report snapshot
Less than a third of companies have a dedicated team or resource for AI governance.
Stakeholders expect more than disclosure – they expect evidence of how governance works in practice.
did not evidence that they had policies in place to protect employees from potential negative impacts of AI.
Companies are not demonstrating how they are preparing employees for an AI-enabled future, leaving themselves open to talent drain and productivity losses.
of companies report conducting human rights impact assessments on AI. Just 5% state that they conduct ethical impact assessments.
AI governance is focused on compliance, with limited visibility of ethical impacts, creating potential risks to people and society.
As supporters of [the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s] AI Company Data Initiative (AICDI), we share its goals to promote transparency and responsible business practices in corporate AI adoption. Its detailed dataset (which covers almost 3,000 companies) and insights provide useful context to our own stewardship activities, encouraging responsible AI practices within our portfolio companies.
These findings suggest that the challenge of responsible AI is no longer awareness but ensuring principles translate into practice. Our AI Company Data Initiative provides a comparable, actionable dataset so that companies and investors can identify good practice and material risk.
About this report
- Published by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, in partnership with UNESCO.
- Grounded in UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, adopted by all 193 UNESCO member states.
- Backed by an investor signatory group with $1.2 trillion assets under management.
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