AI now top business risk
Executives now rank AI-related issues as their leading business risk, overtaking climate and energy — and state-level bills are already shaping a patchwork U.S. regulatory landscape. — That squeeze is translating into corporate behaviour: tech firms are buying carbon credits to offset AI datacentre demand, and identity‑verification vendors report surging demand (Regula says users rose 62%). ( )
The Conference Board’s C‑Suite Outlook shows Fortune 500 CEOs put AI at the top of industry risks: 60% named it their leading threat, a seven‑point jump from Q4 2025, compared with geopolitical concerns at 59% and cyber at 56%. (axios.com) State legislatures produced a surge of activity in 2025 — roughly 1,200 AI‑related bills were introduced that year — but only about 100–145 measures were enacted, leaving compliance obligations to vary widely by state. (multistate.ai) Brookings’ March 17, 2026 analysis found that a “small share” of proposed AI bills became law and that employment‑focused measures showed the highest passage rates, a dynamic that helps explain why companies are concentrating legal and HR resources on multi‑state compliance. (brookings.edu) Carbon‑credit markets are responding: data compiled for CNBC by carbon‑market tracker Ceezer shows Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft increased permanent carbon‑removal purchases from about 14,200 credits in 2022 to 11.92 million in 2023, 24.4 million in 2024, and 68.4 million in 2025. (cnbc.com) Microsoft publicly signed a 3.5‑million‑credit purchase with Re.green in January 2025 to shore up offsets tied to AI expansion, and CNBC’s reporting notes the same Big Tech cohort faces roughly a $700 billion combined bill for AI infrastructure this year. (carboncredits.com) Identity‑verification vendors are scaling fast: Regula reported supporting over 240 million end users — a 62% year‑over‑year increase — driven by new clients across banking, telecom, border control and travel, with country gains such as Australia +128% and the U.S. +46%. (regulaforensics.com)
