This Week in ESG and Impact Investing

Last week, (6/10 and 11) Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosted its AI Expo (AWS Summit Washington, DC - Generative AI solutions) where top tech companies demonstrated how artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping industries. From data organization and legacy code transformation to complex scientific modeling, each firm offered a unique glimpse into how AI is being applied today—and where it might lead us tomorrow. Nvidia had one of the more interesting demos; they're using multiple AI models to handle specific tasks with existing research and data. One example: their software took a set of medical research notes and built a scale model of a protein. IBM showed off a system that updates outdated code to work on modern platforms. Datadog is using AI to boost how it collects and organizes data from websites. Other companies are also finding creative ways to use AI for software protection, data analysis, and development. Takeaway:  With AI’s rapid development, it’s exciting to imagine th...

Just five miles from downtown Washington D.C. is Amazon HQ2. Its location symbolizes the tech giant's expanding footprint in government circles, as Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to secure public sector contracts with substantial implications for national security, data privacy, and the concentration of new technological power. AWS's role as the primary cloud service provider for the US government will increasingly shape policies, operational infrastructure, and public services, bearing great significance for the country given its dominant position in the emerging Cloud Computing-Industrial Complex . When Amazon began its search for a headquarters expansion location in September 2017, 238 cities submitted incentive proposals that included competitive tax breaks and cash grant offers, anticipating 50,000 new jobs and a local economic boost . By January 2018, only 20 finalists remained, and in November of that year, Amazon announced Long Island City in Queens, New York, an...