This note highlights how machine learning is being used to decarbonize (reduce GHG emissions) several key sectors including electricity, transportation, building, industrial processes, and agriculture -- and how machine learning is being used to accelerate efforts to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (carbon removal).
In 2023, Israel-based AI health care company Aidoc evaluated its future. The company, founded in 2016, had grown from commercializing a single AI product for radiologists to a software platform that could detect 20 conditions and immediately notify care teams of critical results for priority patients. Aidoc's products detected over 75% of common acute pathologies visible on CT scans. The company had 20 algorithms used by over 900 global hospitals and had 17 FDA clearances-the highest number of any clinical AI company at the time. The company, which had initially produced point solutions, had evolved to manage a multisided network platform that hosted its own as well as its partners' algorithms. Aidoc had a rich history of producing highly accurate AI products, but partnership allowed it to bring more innovative products to market. The company needed to determine how to continue to grow. Should it focus more on developing highly technical AI health care solutions or on developing and managing a platform to bring other company's products to its growing customer base?
In 2023 and 2024, the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice sued Google, Amazon, and Apple claiming antitrust violations. These lawsuits marked a shift in U.S. antitrust enforcement away from the Chicago School and towards the New Brandeis school of antitrust enforcement. The shift aligned U.S. antitrust enforcement policies closer to those being employed in the European Union, China, and India. These lawsuits built upon FTC Chair Lina Khan's belief that big technology firms had amassed excessive market strength and that U.S. anti-monopoly agencies needed to adjust their enforcement approaches to address industry.
The case describes the history of AGENTS.inc. Despite being a small startup, with only four employees, that had never had a funding round, the company boasted an impressive client portfolio including multiple Fortune 500 companies. While AGENTS.inc had been an early mover in the AI agent space, the company faced increased and well-funded competition in 2024. The founders needed to raise a seed funding round, to decide if they should continue their B2B model or change to focus on creating a digital agent store, and if they should release their software to open source. If they did so, they needed to decide what to make open source and what to retain as proprietary.
In 2018, artisanal Italian vineyard Frank Cornelissen was one of the world's leading natural wine vineyards. Its founder, Frank Cornelissen, faced weather related conditions that forced him to have to decide between staying true to the tenets of the natural wine community or breaking with his public beliefs to save that year's wines.
In 2018, artisanal Italian vineyard Frank Cornelissen was one of the world's leading natural wine vineyards. Its founder, Frank Cornelissen, faced weather related conditions that forced him to have to decide between staying true to the tenants of the natural wine community or breaking with his public beliefs to save that year's wines.
The case describes Ball's multi decade history of using Economic Value Added to drive decision making and workforce compensation. In 2016, the company acquired Rexam PLC and became the world's leading metal beverage container company. Consumer demand for varied aluminum can sizes led Ball to evaluate long term cost savings and efficiencies. In 2017, the company had to determine if it should open a new factory or upgrade two newly acquired factories. Opening the new factory required closing the other two. Ball used economic value added analysis to inform its decision making about this dilemma in this case.
Ball used Economic Value Added analysis to determine if it should open a new metal can manufacturing facility, which mandated closing two recently acquired factories, or recapitalize and update the two legacy factories.
Ball used Economic Value Added analysis to determine if it should open a new metal can manufacturing facility, which mandated closing two recently acquired factories, or recapitalize and update the two legacy factories.
Arla implemented a data based price incentive systems to measure, track, and influence climate friendly changes to reduce CO2 emissions across the world's fourth largest dairy cooperative.
The case describes Arla's history, in particular its climate change mitigation efforts, and how it implemented a price incentive system to motivate individual farms to implement scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions mitigation measures and receive a higher milk price. The case, and its data supplement, highlight Arla's use of a data score card and regression analysis model to track CO2 emissions across dairy farms in multiple European countries.
Unicorn human relationships startup Beamery evaluates it growth versus depth strategy as its strategic partners and customers could become future competitors in a quickly changing AI based human resources and talent management industry.
Patagonia's change of ownership from a privately held company to a perpetual purpose trust and 501(c)(4) nonprofit in order to use the company's profit to fight the environmental crisis and be a model for future businesses.