GenAI and the pursuit of sustainability

: a qualitative study of international organizations

Abstract

Although Generative AI (GenAI) is widely recognized for its potential to advance sustainable development goals, current studies often treat GenAI and sustainability as separate subjects and relies heavily on theoretical discussions, editorials, or literature reviews. This resulted in a limited understanding of how GenAI interacts with organizational processes, practices, and strategies in the context of sustainability, often overlooking the complex trade-offs, governance challenges, and contextual factors. To address this gap, I conducted a qualitative case study with 21 semi-structured interviews with GenAI experts across industries, countries, and corroborating these insights with archival data. Using the Gioia methodology, the research systematically uncovers how international organizations are integrating GenAI with the three pillars of sustainability-economic, social, and environmental. The findings reveal that while GenAI is mainly leveraged for economic and social sustainability through automation and enhanced human-AI-collaboration, environmental considerations remain secondary. By providing empirical evidence on the nuanced dynamics of GenAI adoption, this study contributes to the literature on digital sustainability, GenAI, and human-AI collaboration, and calls for more integrated, context-sensitive theories that reflect the complexity of implementing GenAI for the pursuit of sustainability.

Date of Award	20 Oct 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cristina Trocin (Supervisor)