Scaling AI, ESG Investments & the Smart Enterprise | DisrupTV Ep. 86

In DisrupTV Episode 86, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar speak with Manoj Saxena (Executive Chairman of CognitiveScale, former GM of IBM Watson), Jay Jacobs (Vice President & Head of Research at Global X Funds), and Heather Clancy (Editorial Director at GreenBiz). The discussion explores how enterprises can scale AI, integrate ESG (environmental, social, governance) investing, and balance profitability with responsibility.

Key Takeaways

AI at Scale Needs Trust, Governance & Purpose

Manoj Saxena underscores that scaling AI isn’t just about technology, but about building trust, applying governance, designing for explainability, and aligning AI initiatives with business purpose.

He points out that many organizations adopt AI pilots, but struggle to move from experiment to scale because of lack of clarity in ROI, risk, and ethics. 

Sustainable Investing Isn’t Just an Option – It’s Strategic

Jay Jacobs discusses how ESG is moving beyond moral or regulatory considerations: investors increasingly demand measurable impact, transparency, and long-term sustainability metrics. 

There is growing recognition that ESG can drive financial performance, and that funds focused on sustainable outcomes are attracting capital due to both risk mitigation and opportunity identification. 

Green & Responsible Business Practices are Becoming Core to Strategy

Heather Clancy explores how businesses are adopting green practices not only for compliance or branding, but because consumers, partners, employees, and ecosystems increasingly expect it.

She highlights how reporting, measurement, and operations need to adjust: sustainability metrics must be embedded into decision-making, supply chains, product development, etc. 

The Role of Regulation, Transparency, and Standards

Across the conversation, the importance of transparent metrics (for ESG), clear regulatory frameworks, and standardization (especially in AI) is emphasized as essential for scaling trust.

AI ethics, risk, explainability are not afterthoughts—they need to be baked into systems from the start to avoid backlash, misuse, or loss of reputation.

Final Thoughts

  • To build truly intelligent, scalable AI, organizations must embed ethical governance, explainability, and purpose from early stages—not after systems are in place.
  • ESG investing is shifting from being a niche or ancillary concern to central strategy. Firms that ignore sustainability metrics or transparency risk falling behind both from regulatory and investor pressure.
  • Responsiveness to green and responsible business demands is not only the right thing to do socially or morally, but is becoming a business imperative for risk mitigation and market trust.
  • The future enterprise will require harmony between technological innovation (especially AI), regulatory and ethical guardrails, and environmental/social responsibility—organizations that can balance these will gain strategic and reputational advantage.

Related Episodes

 

Business Research Themes

Future of Work, Tech Optimization

Roles

Chief Digital Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Sustainability Officer, Chief Technology Officer