AI ethics training for a global ESG consultancy
AI governance, Ethics & Compliance Training | read time: 4 min
Background and context
As part of an ongoing global programme to embed responsible business conduct, a multinational ESG consultancy engaged GoodCorporation to design and deploy a training programme to support its growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) across its operations.
The organisation operates globally, with a distributed workforce. In recent years, it has begun to integrate AI into its internal processes and elements of its service offering. Recognising both the opportunities and risks associated with these developments, the organisation had already established an AI policy and delivered practical training on the use of AI tools, including guidance on data protection and appropriate usage. However, as adoption increased, it became clear that further work was required to embed  a consistent and responsible approach to AI use across the organisation.
In particular, there was a need to go beyond practical guidance and policy awareness to build a broader understanding of AI-related risks and their connection to existing business ethics topics. This formed the basis for the next phase of the company’s annual ethics training programme, focusing on AI literacy through the lens of business ethics.
Our approach
GoodCorporation worked with the client to design and deliver a series of live, interactive training sessions aimed at building a more comprehensive understanding of AI literacy across the organisation.
Rather than revisiting practical guidance already covered in earlier sessions, the training took a different approach, focusing on how AI intersects with core business ethics risks. In addition to revisiting data protection, this included exploring with real-world examples and case studies how AI can amplify existing risks and increase their scale or complexity across themes such as fraud, corruption, human rights and sustainability.
The training also focused on what AI literacy means in practice and how it should be applied to the organisation’s use of AI tools. It highlighted the importance of users being able to critically evaluate AI outputs, understand the associated risks, and recognise the broader impact of AI on the company and its stakeholders. The sessions also addressed common misconceptions about AI, encouraging participants to challenge assumptions about its capabilities and reliability.
The training was delivered to participants based around the world through a series of live sessions on Microsoft Teams, accommodating different time zones and ensuring employees could take part from across the organisation. Interactive elements, including polling, were used to encourage engagement and reflection among participants.
Scope of work
The project began with a scoping phase to align the training with the organisation’s broader ethics programme and existing AI initiatives.
GoodCorporation then developed tailored training materials focused on:
- Defining AI literacy and its relevance to responsible business conduct
- Exploring misconceptions and limitations of AI tools
- Examining the intersection between AI and key business ethics risks
- Providing real-world examples of how AI can exacerbate those existing business ethics risks
- Highlighting the importance of critical thinking and responsible decision-making when using AI
The content also included a high-level overview of relevant legislative and regulatory developments and the broader ethical considerations associated with AI use, alongside a discussion of reputational risks.
Three live training sessions were delivered to global audiences of approximately 100–150 participants per session. The sessions were designed to raise awareness and promote discussion, rather than provide prescriptive guidance, reflecting the evolving nature of AI risks and the organisation’s objective of fostering internal responsibility.
The training also consistently reinforced the role of AI as a supporting tool rather than a replacement for human judgement, reflecting the importance of clear understanding in how AI is used across the organisation.
Why it mattered
As organisations rapidly adopt AI technologies, there is often a gap between policy development and effective implementation. While many companies have introduced AI policies, embedding these into day-to-day practices and ensuring consistent understanding across the workforce remains a challenge.
In this case, the training programme helped bridge that gap by linking AI use to existing ethics frameworks and encouraging employees to think critically about how AI impacts their work. By framing AI risks in the context of familiar business ethics topics, the sessions supported a more integrated and accessible understanding of responsible AI use.
The programme also highlighted the importance of clear communication around the role of AI within the organisation. Providing employees with a better understanding of how AI is used, and the organisation’s approach to managing any associated risks, can help build trust and support more confident adoption.
Ultimately, raising awareness and promoting AI literacy enables employees to engage more responsibly with AI tools, recognise potential risks and contribute to maintaining the organisation’s ethical standards.
How GoodCorporation can help
GoodCorporation works with organisations to understand how AI is being used and where the key risks lie. We help companies understand how these risks are managed in practice, ensuring that AI deployment and use is managed within existing governance and compliance frameworks. Our work is grounded in established methodologies and complemented by our AI governance framework, which provides a structured way to assess and strengthen oversight of AI systems. It helps organisations move from high-level commitments to practical implementation, giving greater clarity on how the ethical challenges that AI introduces into day-to-day operations should be governed across the business.
Organisations looking to take a more structured approach to responsible AI can explore our AI ethics and governance services or download our AI governance framework for further guidance.
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