Jun 23, 2025
Today’s internet may be dominated by exploitative Big Tech sludge factories, but it doesn’t have to be that way in the future. Lori Emerson has compiled a list of alternative networks, from the ancient past to the present day, in her book “Other Networks: A Radical Technology Sourcebook.” Stories about smoke signals, ESP, and a “space donut” show that there are many possibilities for us to explore.
Let’s say you’re running a marathon as a charity runner and organizing a fundraiser to support your cause. You ask an AI model 15 questions about the best way to fundraise.
Then you make 10 attempts at an image for your flyer before you get one you are happy with, and three attempts at a five-second video to post on Instagram.
You’d use about 2.9 kilowatt-hours of electricity—enough to ride over 100 miles on an e-bike (or around 10 miles in the average electric vehicle) or run the microwave for over three and a half hours.
. . . The researchers were clear that adoption of AI and the accelerated server technologies that power it has been the primary force causing electricity demand from data centers to skyrocket after remaining stagnant for over a decade. Between 2024 and 2028, the share of US electricity going to data centers may triple, from its current 4.4% to 12%.