AI is transforming how corporations approach environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals – from automating carbon accounting and improving supply chain traceability to detecting human rights risks and enhancing reporting accuracy.
 
Yet this promise comes at a price. AI models are energy-intensive, often opaque and may embed social bias or create new accountability gaps. While some organisations use AI to genuinely strengthen ESG performance, others risk engaging in 'AI-washing', leveraging AI narratives without delivering measurable impact.
 
This session will explore how global companies and their legal advisers can balance innovation with responsibility, understanding both the opportunities and the hidden costs of deploying AI within ESG frameworks.

The panel will also discuss the intersection of responsible AI frameworks and ESG regulations across regions and jurisdictions within the context of the ICT sector and the transformative role that the sixth generation of mobile communication systems (6G), which are envisioned as AI-native network systems, are expected to play in the future. In particular, the discussion will consider initiatives such as the European Union’s forthcoming Code of Conduct for Sustainable Telecommunications Networks, the UK Regulatory Outlook on ESG and Telecoms, and other emerging sustainability standards and indicators.

Key discussion points include:

• Where AI genuinely enhances ESG performance, and where it merely serves as “AI-washing.”;
• The environmental footprint of AI (energy, water, and resource use) and its inclusion in ESG metrics;
• Governance and liability: who is responsible for AI-driven ESG decisions and outcomes?;
• The emerging regulatory landscape: from the EU AI Act to global sustainability reporting standards, and how they intersect;
• Practical guidance for lawyers on structuring responsible AI governance within corporate ESG strategies;
• Combining Artificial Intelligence and geographical indications to promote sustainability;
• How can the IP System foster the use of AI in sustainable innovation?;
• IP protection for AI-driven ESG solutions (algorithms, models, data, and outputs);
• Encouraging green innovation through AI while preserving IP rights;
• How IP laws can prevent misleading AI washing and ESG claims;
• How patent systems and IP incentives can promote sustainable AI design and responsible innovation;
• AI in space used for ESG purposes on earth and in space;
• A discussion of how 6G is envisioned as an AI-native network, where AI is embedded as a foundational and pervasive component rather than an auxiliary optimisation tool;
• And an exploration of how, by incorporating AI-driven mechanisms for energy management, resource allocation, and data governance, 6G directly supports Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) objectives: reducing carbon emissions, promoting digital inclusion, and ensuring transparency and accountability in automated processes