CNN 5 Things One Thing: How the AI Boom Is Costing You More at Home
Oct 12, 2025
Ari Peksoe, Director of the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard Law School, delves into the complexities of the AI boom's impact on electricity consumption. He discusses how data centers, crucial for AI, not only consume massive amounts of power but can also lead to soaring utility bills for consumers. Peksoe outlines the regulatory challenges and suggests that necessary reforms might come too late. He urges listeners to engage with policymakers to address how tech companies contribute to rising infrastructure costs.
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Local Resident's Data Center Fight
- Elizabeth Martorana describes living near newly built hyperscale data centers that hum day and night.
- She shows printouts and points out nearby centers and diesel generators affecting her community.
Resident Sees Immediate Bill Increases
- Elizabeth Martorana reports her household saw roughly a $15 monthly electricity increase this July.
- She warns bills could rise drastically in the next five years as demand grows.
Data Centers Are City-Scale Power Consumers
- Ari Peksoe explains hyperscale AI data centers now consume energy on the scale of large U.S. cities.
- He compares gigawatt-scale facilities to the output of a nuclear reactor to show their enormity.