As artificial intelligence (AI) converges with environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities, organizations across sectors are increasingly using AI to advance the twin digital and green transitions. Experts caution, however, that adopting AI tools does not automatically deliver sustainability outcomes. Instead, AI tends to amplify an organization’s existing capacity for sustainability management. Even in the age of AI, people remain at the heart of transformation, while robust management processes are essential to improving sustainable governance performance.

The 2026 Sixth Government Sustainable Governance Workshop, jointly organized by the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE) and the Civil Service Development Institute under the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Executive Yuan, was held on 8 September. More than 300 participants attended in person and online. This year’s programme focused on the “twin transition”, with particular attention to the practical integration of AI-enabled digital technologies and ESG-based sustainable governance.

TAISE Chair Chien commended Taiwan for the substantial progress it has made on sustainability, driven by leading enterprises. He noted that Taiwan ranked first globally this year in both the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook and the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices (DJBIC), while hospitals, universities and government institutions have also demonstrated notable progress in recent years. Emphasizing that sustainability is an ongoing endeavour requiring year-on-year improvement and measurable results, he encouraged all sectors to continue advancing towards sustainable development, social stability and shared prosperity.

Strengthening Management Resilience through Cross-Sector Collaboration

Deputy Minister Shen of the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Executive Yuan, highlighted the institution’s responsibility for developing a civil service workforce equipped to advance sustainability. She noted that an interministerial AI Civil Service Talent Development Office had been established in mid-2025, with personnel already selected for overseas study visits. Efforts are also under way to expand domestic capacity and establish a systematic training framework, with a view to strengthening the quality of public services and working with government institutions to build a resilient and sustainable future.

Addressing digital infrastructure, Deputy Director-General Chen of the Administration for Digital Industries, Ministry of Digital Affairs, explained that, with support from government ministries and agencies, the Ministry had established a sovereign AI training corpus as foundational infrastructure for data governance and was encouraging wider institutional adoption and interoperability. Through its data convergence initiative, the Ministry has also helped overcome institutional silos by facilitating cooperation among the police, telecommunications and immigration authorities, thereby strengthening efforts to combat fraud. In addition, the Ministry has developed guidelines for recognizing AI industry professionals and uses competitions as practice-based training mechanisms to identify promising talent and provide access to support platforms, with the aim of reinforcing Taiwan’s long-term competitiveness.

“Sustainability management is fundamentally about risks and opportunities,” said Chief Operating Officer Chen of the Center for Corporate Sustainability Impact, Tunghai University. Drawing on 15 years of experience in sustainability consulting, he observed that the practical use of AI in ESG governance can accelerate data verification and analysis, support carbon management and scenario modelling, strengthen supply-chain assessment and stakeholder engagement, improve risk identification and enhance organizational resilience. In sustainable procurement, AI can also compare requirements relating to human rights, labour conditions and other sustainability considerations, helping to transform public procurement into a policy instrument for advancing low-carbon technologies, the circular economy and social resilience.

He cautioned, however, that without sound data-management capacity, AI would only accelerate disorder. The effective use of AI for sustainable governance also depends on cross-departmental collaboration, the ability to identify risks and translate analysis into decisions, and the responsible use of AI. “Mature AI adoption is not defined by whether an organization can use the tools, but by whether it has rigorous management processes in place,” he said.

Advancing Net Zero and Nature-Positive Action through Public-Private Partnerships

“If Kaohsiung can achieve net zero, so can Taiwan as a whole,” said Deputy Director-General Huang of the Environmental Protection Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government. Located at the centre of Taiwan’s heavy industry, Kaohsiung faces significant emissions-reduction pressures: China Steel Corporation alone produces more greenhouse-gas emissions than the entire cities of Taipei and New Taipei. Nevertheless, the city has demonstrated its commitment to net zero by introducing three principal instruments: a self-government ordinance for net-zero urban development, a city carbon budget and a net-zero academy. It is also advancing five key areas of action, including the transition away from fossil fuels and the adoption of technological solutions, while strengthening the use of digital tools.

Taiwan’s first city-level carbon budget is based on an assessment of potential emissions growth and available mitigation measures. It establishes an upper limit for the city’s greenhouse-gas emissions and provides the basis for practical, science-based pathways and strategies. Kaohsiung has also introduced a target under which each municipal department is expected to develop one carbon-credit initiative, thereby turning the city’s carbon liabilities into carbon assets. To support industry, the city has formed three advisory teams specializing in greenhouse-gas inventories, energy-saving and carbon-reduction technologies, and voluntary emissions-reduction plans.

Beyond carbon management, biodiversity is another pillar of national sustainable governance. Division Director Wang of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, emphasized that many species in Taiwan are found beyond formally protected areas and that habitat fragmentation outside those areas must also be addressed. In response, the Agency has promoted spatial planning to connect ecological networks and has established a matchmaking platform for natural carbon sinks and biodiversity projects, inviting ministries, agencies and businesses to participate. “Public-private collaboration is essential to achieving nature-positive outcomes,” he said.

To encourage more government institutions to use digital tools and management approaches to strengthen sustainable governance, while communicating progress transparently to the public, TAISE continues to organize the Government Sustainability Voluntary Review Awards and the Asia-Pacific Sustainability Expo. This year, it has also launched the AI Empowering Sustainability Awards, which recognize individuals and organizations that use AI to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and generate outstanding impact. TAISE Secretary-General Shen invited government institutions to participate actively in these initiatives and thereby enhance transparency and public participation in sustainable governance.