The State of Sustainability Podcast is where we unpack the topics and trends of corporate sustainability, hosted by Saif Hameed, Founder and CEO of Altruistiq.
This time, Saif is joined by David Sykes. David is an independent consultant on Data Science and AI, and was formerly Global Head of Data Science, Analytics and Engineering at Octopus Energy Group, where he spent the better part of a decade building Octopus’s data and AI capabilities.
His experience offers a unique perspective on how AI can unlock value across business functions - particularly in advancing sustainability and operational impact.
In this episode, David and Saif discuss how AI is reshaping the sustainability landscape - from tools and teams to the mindset shifts needed to make it work. They explore where AI is already creating rapid value, which levers are harder to pull, and what sustainability professionals can do to stay ahead of the curve.
As David puts it:
"Stop using AI just through the chat window and start figuring out what else it can do. Workflows, tool use, MCP which is this protocol for how you connect AIs to other tools so that’s how you might go and connect to Spotify or something like that and then maybe try a vibe coding platform something like Lovable to build something and see how it works. Just push yourself and you’ll learn a lot and upskill through that."
Links to content mentioned in the episode:
- How people are using ChatGPT (OpenAI)
- State of AI in Business 2025 Report (MLQ.ai)
- AI and the Future of Work (YouTube)
- Harvard Business School Working Paper 24-013
To find out more about what we do at Altruistiq, visit www.altruistiq.com
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.