Smoke and Mirrors

This chapter critically examines the paradox of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is simultaneously hailed as a powerful tool for achieving sustainability through optimization and modeling, yet is deeply implicated in escalating environmental crises. While proponents focus on AI’s potential for better prediction and efficiency, this chapter positions the AI boom not as a wholly new phenomenon, but as a continuation of a historical arc of extraction and exploitation of planetary resources—a theme carried over from the preceding chapter. This chapter details the recent, explosive growth in data centers, reviewing forecasts that predict a resulting surge in power demand. This is particularly problematic because the energy used to power data centers is largely derived from fossil fuels. This chapter also explores the local impacts of data centers, including the consumption of potable water for cooling and rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions. This chapter elaborates on the broader economic impacts, including the potential for AI-driven labor displacement and the threat of rising utility prices due to accelerating power demand. It concludes by surveying nascent regulatory attempts to govern AI and what these efforts mean for net zero commitments and the long-term prospects of global sustainability.