Change the World

As the AI boom reshapes the global economy, it promises extraordinary gains in productivity, but it also raises urgent questions: Can its infrastructure be built more sustainably? How should schools prepare students for a rapidly changing workplace? And how can employers help workers develop the skills they’ll need to thrive?

The companies on this year’s Fortune Change the World list are confronting those questions and tackling other stubborn challenges. Some are developing cleaner ways to meet rising energy demand. Others are retraining employees, expanding access to education, or creating pathways to better-paying careers. Still others are addressing problematic supply chains—recovering and recycling scarce materials, reducing waste, improving traceability, and helping farmers and other suppliers earn a more sustainable living. Their approaches vary, but they share a conviction: Social impact is most powerful, and most durable, when it is embedded in a business rather than bolted on as an afterthought.

For the 12th edition of Change the World, Fortune editors evaluated roughly 200 candidates before choosing 50 honorees. Their work spans four areas: environmental protection, health and safety, access for underserved communities, and economic opportunity.