Artificial intelligence is not virtual, clean, or weightless. It has a rapidly escalating physical cost in electricity, water, and emissions—and ordinary people will pay the price.
Research shows that AI data centres could soon consume electricity on the scale of entire nations. At the same time, AI cooling systems are diverting vast quantities of water in a world already facing severe shortages.
This video asks the questions politicians are refusing to confront: who pays for AI’s energy and water use, who profits, and whether unlimited AI growth is compatible with planetary limits, democratic accountability, and basic human needs.
AI may promise growth—but at what cost, and to whom?