The hidden costs of AI: How data centers drive up bills, inflation, and inequality
By
Richard (RJ) Eskow
A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
Summary
Lynn Parramore reports on the hidden costs of AI infrastructure, arguing that data centers are driving up electricity bills, inflation, and interest rates for ordinary people while tech and utility executives profit. The article highlights how communities are being displaced, promised jobs fail to materialize, and young graduates feel discarded—all while the industry ignores these concerns in its relentless expansion.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledWhether or not you've ever used a chatbot, you're already paying for AI's monstrous appetite.
Tech and utility executives cut sweetheart deals, transfer wealth upward, and promise jobs that never materialize.
Young graduates feel discarded, communities are being bulldozed, and the industry's answer to every concern is more.
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