This briefing examines human rights risks from AI-based technologies in the ICT sector, outlines business, legal, and financial implications, and provides investor-oriented guidance grounded in international standards to support rights-respecting AI development, deployment, and oversight.

The NATO Innovation Fund advocates removing financial exclusions on defence to bolster European security. The report recommends reforming procurement for rapid dual-use technology adoption and implementing a ‘Responsible Use Framework’ to ensure ethical development of emerging capabilities like AI and autonomous systems.

The report outlines how AI increases energy demand yet supports sustainability through efficiency gains, improved forecasting, and advanced grid management. It recommends grid modernisation, expanded low-carbon power, enhanced data-centre resource efficiency, and lifecycle carbon management to enable reliable, sustainable deployment of next-generation technologies.

This report examines how ChatGPT can expose teenagers to harmful content, including self-harm, disordered eating and substance abuse guidance. Researchers posing as 13-year-olds found safeguards were easily bypassed, with over half of tested prompts generating unsafe outputs. The report calls for stronger age controls, transparency, and safety enforcement.

This report summarises international investment trends in the digital economy, focusing on data, digital infrastructure, and technology services. It highlights uneven global distribution, the role of multinational enterprises, and policy implications for sustainable development, emphasising the need for balanced regulatory frameworks and equitable access to digital opportunities worldwide.

This report examines the link between shareholder rights and corporate performance in the 1990s. Using a Governance Index across 1,500 firms, it finds that stronger shareholder rights were associated with higher valuations, profits, and growth, while weaker rights correlated with lower performance and abnormal underperformance.

This report analyses the link between ESG integration and global investor returns, drawing on cross-regional data and sector comparisons. It assesses how environmental, social, and governance factors correlate with performance, highlighting variations across markets and asset classes. The study provides evidence-based insights on ESG’s financial materiality for investors worldwide.

Water Footprint Implementation supports companies and governments with water accounting, sustainability assessment and water-footprint compensation. A spin-off of Water Footprint Network research, it delivers actionable insights for ESG reporting, water stewardship, water-footprint benchmarking and tailored reduction strategies to enhance resilience, reduce risk and foster sustainable water management.

This report examines the human rights risks associated with artificial intelligence in the ICT sector. It offers guidance for rights-respecting AI development, outlines regulatory frameworks, presents the business rationale for ethical AI, and supports investor engagement with practical tools and questions for assessing AI-related corporate practices

This report examines how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are being adopted in venture capital. It outlines current practices, challenges, and industry-specific considerations, and highlights the need for tailored guidance, collaboration, and early-stage engagement to advance responsible investment across the venture capital ecosystem.

Companies excelling in disability inclusion earn higher revenue, profit, and productivity. Despite rising interest, action lags. Barriers include disclosure fears and cost assumptions. The report introduces a five-part “A List” framework—Access, Awareness, Advocacy, Action, Accountability—to guide inclusive practices and improve organisational and financial outcomes.

This benchmark series tracks annual progress in women's representation in executive leadership roles across the ASX300. It provides a consistent and comparative overview of gender diversity trends, highlights structural barriers, and evaluates corporate efforts towards achieving gender balance in leadership.

This report offers practical guidance for investors engaging companies on managing conflict-affected and high-risk area (CAHRA) exposure. It highlights legal obligations, best practices in heightened human rights due diligence, and governance strategies, drawn from pilot dialogues with tech and renewable energy firms. Recommendations target risk mitigation aligned with global standards.

The report explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can address challenges in global pension systems. It highlights AI's potential to enhance governance, personalisation, fraud prevention, and investment strategies while emphasising ethical implementation and data privacy considerations to optimise retirement outcomes and ensure system sustainability.

The report explores the potential of blockchain technology in financing infrastructure projects. It evaluates blockchain's capabilities in enhancing efficiency, transparency, and accessibility in infrastructure tokenisation, while addressing challenges like regulatory constraints, market adoption, and technical barriers. The findings highlight both opportunities and limitations for integrating blockchain into infrastructure financing.

The report reviews blockchain's role in sustainability, analysing 10,188 studies. It highlights blockchain's potential in supply chain management, energy systems, and IoT-based solutions like smart cities. However, gaps persist in aligning blockchain applications with global ESG regulations and carbon trading mechanisms. Recommendations aim to improve blockchain's utility in achieving net-zero goals.