AI's Power Hunger: The Greenwash of Industrial Greed
The latest hand-wringing in The Hill over AI's energy footprint paints a picture of a looming threat to household electricity bills. They propose utility regulators impose 'cost-of-service studies' on data centers to unburden regular consumers. What’s left unsaid, of course, is the Silicon Valley gold rush fueling this energy demand – a rush whose profits won't be subject to any 'separate check'
from the average utility bill. It’s a familiar narrative: industrial growth creates environmental strain, then the public is asked to tighten its belt while the corporate coffers overflow. One might wonder if these 'separate checks' will extend to the multi-billion-dollar government contracts AI companies secure, often with little public oversight. Or perhaps, it's just another way to prepare the
public for higher utility rates, conveniently blaming the future while protecting current profits. After all, when has corporate expansion ever truly socialized its costs while privatizing its gains? It's almost as if the 'free market' only applies until it's time to pay the externalities bill, then it becomes a public responsibility.