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 IBM showed off a system that updates outdated code to work on modern platforms.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...

Connor Stout, left and Gabriel Philipp, right. At the 2025 Politico Energy Summit on June 10th, leading lawmakers, CEOs, policy advocates, and former regulators gathered to dissect the energy future of the United States. Beneath the technical language and party lines, a powerful theme emerged; namely that the U.S. is heading into a period of intensifying energy demand, regulatory turbulence, and geopolitical competition. While consensus formed around some core issues, deep divisions remain over how to meet the moment. The Upcoming Energy Crisis: The unofficial theme of the summit was that the U.S. needs more energy in the upcoming decade. Nearly every speaker touched on the idea that the current energy infrastructure will not be capable of supporting the growth of artificial intelligence, data centers, and onshoring of manufacturing. AI, in particular, dominated the conversation. Industry leaders stressed that without a rapid expansion in power generation the U.S. could lose its techno...

The IRS is on a mission to modernize how it operates, aiming to make the tax experience smoother and more efficient for everyone. They’re focusing on bringing in digital tools, cracking down on fraud, and ensuring everything stays above board in terms of compliance. With a team of over 8,000 dedicated people, the IRS is trying to strike the right balance between pushing forward with innovative ideas and managing the risks that come with them. They’ve laid out a game plan that dives into their goals, the hurdles they’re facing, and how they’re planning to evolve their systems with AI and other digital solutions to better serve taxpayers. Strategic Goals Fraud prevention is right at the top of the IRS's to-do list. They're tapping into AI and data analytics to spot suspicious activity early on and keep taxpayer information safe. But it's not just about security—the IRS also wants to make the tax experience more user-friendly. They're working on digital solutions that ...

Despite both consumer and institutional interest in artificial intelligence continuing to grow across the financial services industry, the majority of leaders are still unsure about the technology and its potential uses — leaving a select group of executives to lead their organizations into the fray.  Arizent, the publisher of American Banker, surveyed 127 financial institution professionals to find out how traditional and generative AI is unfolding in the industry with respect to applications, risks versus rewards, impact on the workforce and more. Respondents represent banks ranging from less than $10 billion of assets to more than $100 billion of assets, as well as credit unions of all asset sizes. The results showed that familiarity is the largest hurdle for adoption. Tech-minded changemakers helping prepare their organizations for AI said the top two things they are doing are researching providers and attending industry conferences or events on AI. They are also creating w...

Introduction.  As artificial intelligence (AI) advances and permeates various aspects of our lives, the question of how to regulate it becomes increasingly pertinent. To chart the best course for AI regulation, it is essential to learn from past experience with other emerging technologies. In this regard, social media platforms offer valuable lessons on what works and what does not when it comes to developing a legal framework for innovation. In this blog post, we explore four key lessons from social media regulation that can guide the path to regulating AI.  1. Congress Needs to Be More Tech-Savvy. One of the most significant challenges in regulating social media was the apparent lack of technical understanding among policymakers. During the 2018 Senate hearing with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, many senators appeared unable to ask informed questions about the company's data privacy practices (Lapowsky, 2018). This lack of tech-savvy hindered effective regulation, as many la...