The Hidden Energy Crisis Behind Artificial Intelligence

What if the digital revolution that’s “changing the world” is actually draining it?
In this eye-opening solo episode, Darin pulls back the curtain on the massive, often-ignored energy and environmental costs of artificial intelligence. From water-hungry data centers to electricity loads that rival entire nations, Darin breaks down how our reliance on AI is colliding with our fragile global infrastructure—and what it means for humanity’s future.

But this isn’t a fear-fest. It’s a wake-up call and a rallying cry. Darin reveals why he’s more optimistic than ever about the clean energy technologies already being deployed—technologies that could power the future without destroying it. If you care about the planet, your health, and what kind of world we’re building, this one’s for you.

 

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What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

00:00 – What’s powering AI? Not magic—massive electricity
01:45 – Are we building a smarter world… or a less livable one?
03:15 – Why most modern systems are imploding by design
04:30 – The overlooked energy load behind AI and data centers
06:45 – 1,287 megawatts… to train just one AI model
07:30 – Global data centers are using 2% of all electricity
08:10 – Water: AI’s other resource you didn’t think about
09:30 – 700,000 liters of water to train a model?!
10:45 – The moral dilemma: Should AI take priority over food and water?
12:00 – Communities paying the price as bills and emissions rise
13:30 – Are we spending billions to make machines smarter while humans suffer?
15:45 – This isn’t about bashing AI—it’s about using it right
17:00 – Darin’s personal friends in real clean energy innovation
18:30 – Infinite power sources exist—we just need to scale them
20:00 – Why you don’t see these real innovators on social media
21:45 – AI is here to stay—but what kind of AI will we build?
23:30 – Clean power, social justice, environmental restoration—all possible
25:00 – The systems are failing, but we don’t have to
26:30 – You don’t have to sell your soul to technology
27:30 – Darin’s ultimate message: optimism, agency, and alignment

 

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Thank You to Our Sponsor:

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Find More from Darin Olien:

🌱 Instagram: @darinolien
🎙️ Podcast: SuperLife with Darin Olien
📘 Book: Fatal Conveniences
💻 Website: Superlife.com

 

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Key Takeaway:

“The future isn’t being built by machines. It’s being built by our choices. We can use these tools to accelerate justice, wellness, and restoration—or we can watch the old systems collapse. Either way, the choice is ours.” – Darin Olien

 

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Resources and Bibliography: 

MIT: Energy use of generative AI - https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117  

IEA: AI data center projections - https://www.iea.org/news/ai-is-set-to-drive-surging-electricity-demand  

Columbia University: US power demands for AI - https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/ai-power-demand-and-u-s-energy-policy/  

Environmental impact of AI - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_artificial_intelligence  

Public health costs of AI energy demand - https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.06288  

Justice & ethics of AI infrastruc