AI is clever software, but behind every chatbot is a vast amount of physical infrastructure.
Data centers and their huge power demands have sparked a growing public backlash.
So today, we're going to crunch the numbers on AI's footprint.
We'll consider where there's genuine cause for concern and where the costs have been exaggerated.
I'm Tom Standage, deputy editor of The Economist, and this is Inside Tech.
With me as usual is Alex Hern, our AI writer.
Hello, Alex.
Hello, Tom.
And in a departure for this show, we're joined by Archie Hall, our acting economics editor, as an additional guest.
Hello, Archie.
Hello, hello.
Only the second guest we've ever had on the show after Demis Hassabis, so you should easily meet that.
There you are.
Okay, company.
The bar is high for guests on this show.
Okay, we're going to talk about the environmental impact of AI,
and we're going to start by hearing from someone who's been posting videos on X about what it's like to live near a data center.
So check this out.
"That sounds to me like an airplane sort of taxiing to take off.
It's a bit like being at an airport, except it's an airport where like the planes are always on 24/7.