Wednesday 29 July, 2026 – As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded in everyday products, workplaces and customer experiences, new research from One New Zealand suggests businesses need to consider social and environmental impacts to maintain customer and public trust in how AI is deployed.
The One NZ AI Trust Report 2026: Sustainability Edition, released today, reveals almost half (45%) of New Zealanders are concerned about the environmental impacts of businesses using AI, rising to 63% among 18–24-year-olds. The findings suggest sustainability is emerging alongside privacy and transparency as important factors shaping trust in AI.
The research shows New Zealanders are increasingly recognising AI as a physical, infrastructure-intensive technology, with the greatest concerns relating to electricity use (66%), water consumption (51%), electronic waste (50%) and carbon emissions (44%).
Concerns about AI replacing humans continue to be a barrier to wider acceptance of AI in New Zealand. The research found that loss of human jobs (65%), reduced human interaction in customer service (62%) and over-reliance on AI at the expense of human oversight (60%) remain the leading concerns.
Privacy also remains a major issue, with 59% worried about organisations using their personal information without consent. Older New Zealanders and women report higher levels of concern overall, while people who are more hesitant to use AI are particularly worried about unauthorised use of their personal information and the impact of AI on employment.
One NZ Head of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Nicky Preston says the findings highlight a shift in how organisations need to think about responsible AI. “The conversation around AI has largely focused on productivity and innovation to date. But this research shows New Zealanders are starting to consider a broader question: not just what AI can do, but how responsibly it is being powered, governed and deployed.
“Trust has always been fundamental to technology adoption, and sustainability considerations are part of the trust equation. Businesses that want to scale AI successfully will increasingly need to demonstrate they are thinking carefully about the environmental and social impacts alongside the opportunities.
“It’s evident this is becoming part of the conversation in Australia with their government’s recent announcement – and in New Zealand we also need to consider the longer-term implications of growing AI adoption and related infrastructure, both in terms of risks and opportunities.”
The report suggests public expectations are moving beyond principles and policies towards tangible operational action. Among those concerned about AI's environmental impacts, respondents identified the most important actions businesses can take as using renewable energy (35%), reducing energy use (32%), being transparent about environmental impacts (28%), clearly explaining why AI is being used (21%) and independent audits (19%).
Preston says organisations are likely to face growing expectations to demonstrate responsible AI through practical decisions rather than broad commitments. “The next phase of AI trust will be operational. Customers and employees increasingly want evidence that organisations are managing AI responsibly through governance, infrastructure choices, supplier decisions and thoughtful deployment.”
Alongside the research, the report outlines One NZ's own approach to responsible AI, including embedding sustainability into its AI governance framework, introducing mandatory Responsible AI training for employees, and collaborating with technology partners to reduce the environmental footprint of AI workloads. As part of this work, One NZ achieved an estimated 83% reduction in AI-related carbon emissions by relocating Salesforce Agentforce workloads from the United States to Sweden – with extensive internal training initiatives for staff, including responsible AI training.
The nationally representative research of 1,001 New Zealanders was conducted in March 2026. The AI Trust Report forms part of One NZ's ongoing commitment to understanding how New Zealanders view AI and helping organisations build trust as adoption accelerates.
The full One NZ AI Trust Report 2026: Sustainability Edition can be downloaded here.
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