Artificial intelligence’s metabolic footprint and the political-industrial ecology of urban sustainability
Abstract
Abstract Artificial intelligence is promoted as a key to sustainable urban futures, yet its material, energy, and labor costs often remain hidden. This perspective introduces political–industrial ecology as a framework to explore AI’s life-cycle impacts—from sites of extraction and energy-intensive data centers to urban applications. Using this framework, I map out the interconnected layers of AI infrastructure and identify guiding research questions, focusing on material transparency and integrating life-cycle metrics with social impacts.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Smart Cities and Technologies
Sustainable Industrial Ecology
Regional resilience and development
Publication details
- Journal / source
- npj Urban Sustainability
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Publication date
- 29 April 2026
- Language
- EN