5.1 - Energy
Artificial Intelligence Policy
π§ Think:
- How do we manage the massive energy demands of AI?
π Read:
- Chen, 2025. βHow much energy will AI really consume? The good, the bad, and the unknownβ Nature
- Stover, 2024. βAI goes nuclearβ The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
π Browse:
- Ars Technica, βCan we make AI less power-hungry? These researchers are working on it.β
- The Economist, βHow safe is nuclear energy?β
- Mandler, 2024. βThree Mile Island nuclear plant will reopen to power Microsoft data centersβ
- Erdenesanaa, 2024. βA.I. Could Soon Need as Much Electricity as an Entire Countryβ NYTimes
- Goldman Sachs, βIs nuclear energy the answer to AI data centersβ power consumption?β
- Bacquero, βThe Energy Footprint of Humans and Large Language Modelsβ
π Additional Resources:
- Crawford, 2022. Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence. Yale.
π Submit:
- Discussion question to course chat
TipTip
- βπ Readβ, βπ§ Listenβ, and/or βπΊ Watchβ items are required content for the day, and should be read/heard/watched before class on that day.
- βπ Browseβ items should be briefly looked at but do not need to be read deeply unless you want to
- βπ Additional Resourcesβ do not need to be looked at; they are there to serve, if useful, as further references for your debates, final projects, and general edification later.