The Energy Demand Surge of Artificial Intelligence

Will AI take our jobs? Does AI boost economic productivity? Is it a choice of going green or going digital? Our host Paul Gordon talks to ECB colleagues António Dias da Silva, Guzmán González-Torres Fernández and Miles Parker to find out what AI means for the economy, especially for productivity, job prospects and energy supply. The views expressed are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the European Central Bank. Published on 9 April 2025 and recorded on 3 April 2025. In this episode: 00:55 Is AI replacing jobs? Can AI ever replace jobs in journalism or film-making? Will AI be our next podcast host? 02:14 Is AI a job changer? How are new technologies changing our jobs? 04:00 Age, education and gender Who uses AI and how do people feel about it? Does AI usage differ based on age, education and gender? 06:57 Sectors with the highest AI usage Which sectors use AI the most? What’s behind the different attitudes towards AI in different areas of the economy? 09:00 Corporate usage of AI What do companies need to effectively use AI? 11:02 How does AI affect productivity? How can AI be put to good use? To what extent can Europe’s economy grow with current AI usage? Is the world ready for AI? 13:29 The role of policymakers How can policymakers make it easier for companies to use AI? 15:10 AI and energy consumption How much energy does AI need? How much energy does ChatGPT use for one search? Will energy demand go up or down? 17:15 Go green or go digital? Do we need to choose or does AI allow both? How could AI help the green transition? 19:10 Obstacles What are the roadblocks to the green and digital transitions? What investment is needed to make these transitions a success? What else needs to be done? 21:50 Our guests’ hot tips António, Guzmán and Miles share their hot tips with our listeners. Further reading: The ECB Blog: AI adoption and employment prospects https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2025/html/ecb.blog20250321~6af1337b6b.en.html The ECB Blog: AI versus green: clash of the transitions? https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2025/html/ecb.blog20250325~ed12b0ff35.en.html The ECB Blog: AI can boost productivity – if firms use it https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/blog/date/2025/html/ecb.blog20250328~60c0a587f7.en.html Hot tip from António: Tech-focused podcast Babbage by The Economist https://www.economist.com/audio/podcasts/babbage Hot tip from Guzmán: The ECB recent conference on “The transformative power of AI: economic implications and challenges” https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/conferences/html/20250401_transformative_power_of_ai.en.html Hot tip from Miles: International Energy Agency website https://www.iea.org/ ECB Instagram https://www.instagram.com/europeancentralbank/ European Central Bank www.ecb.europa.eu ECB Banking Supervision https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/home/html/index.en.html