I've Got Questions with Sinead Bovell Leading AI Professor: We Must Address AI's Climate Impact Before It’s Too Late | Kate Crawford
Oct 16, 2025
In a riveting discussion, Kate Crawford, a leading AI researcher and author of Atlas of AI, dives into the profound environmental and ethical implications of artificial intelligence. She reveals how AI's massive infrastructure consumes significant resources, challenging the myth of its virtuality. Kate warns that the AI race among nations increases both climate risk and societal harm. With insights on the need for sustainable practices and the dangers of concentrated corporate power, she emphasizes that systemic change is essential for a greener future.
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AI Is An Industrial Infrastructure
- AI is not immaterial; it's a massive industrial infrastructure consuming vast energy, water, and resources.
- Kate Crawford says data centers are expanding so fast they sometimes use tents because buildings can't be built quickly enough.
AI Competes For Earth's Resources
- Large AI models demand thousands of energy-hungry chips and heavy cooling, often using fresh water from local reserves.
- Crawford links training and inference to huge energy and water use plus mining for minerals like lithium and cobalt.
South Memphis Health Harms From A Data Center
- In South Memphis, Musk's Colossus data center used methane generators, releasing nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde into a high-asthma community.
- Local residents face health harms while regions absorb higher electricity costs as data centers scale.
