Business · Companies · 1 hr ago
Free AI can speed up sustainability disclosures research, adviser says
Companies’ sustainability teams are often asked how much other businesses disclose on a particular topic.
Sustainability adviser Hidehiko Kamiyama describes using free AI tools to answer such questions by searching for and comparing companies’ annual securities reports.
He says this work, including preparing meeting materials, took less than 30 minutes.
In his example, he found two companies that had said they complied with standards set by Japan’s Sustainability Standards Board, as of September 1, 2026.
The distinction matters because referring to a standard is not the same as saying a company complies with all of it.
The board warned in May 2026 against wording that could wrongly suggest full compliance.
Kamiyama recommends using AI to search, then questioning and checking the results.
Sustainability adviser Hidehiko Kamiyama says free AI tools can cut research into other companies’ sustainability disclosures to just under 30 minutes.
The process involves finding information, questioning it and checking it against company filings.
Kamiyama says his research found that two companies had stated they complied with SSBJ standards as of September 1, 2026.
He warns that saying a company refers to a standard is not the same as saying it complies with it.
- Who
- Sustainability adviser Hidehiko Kamiyama.
- What
- He describes using free AI to research and compare other companies’ sustainability disclosures.
- When
- Published October 13, 2026. His research finding was as of September 1, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- To help sustainability staff quickly find out how other companies disclose information, including when they face urgent questions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
SSBJ cautioned against wording that could misleadingly suggest compliance when a company had not met all requirements.
Kamiyama’s research found two companies had stated that they complied with SSBJ standards.
Toyo Keizai published Kamiyama’s article on using free AI for sustainability disclosure research.
- Research time
- Just under 30 minutes using free AI
- Companies identified
- 2 as of September 1, 2026
- AI tools
- Gemini and a tool for analyzing documents
- Adviser experience
- About 20 years supporting sustainability reporting and external assessments
What people are saying
expressions that give the misleading impression of compliance when not all requirements are met are not appropriate
Sources
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