Concerns are mounting over the future societal impact of artificial intelligence, particularly its escalating energy demands and potential to exacerbate global socioeconomic disparities. Entrepreneur Nick Huber recently voiced significant apprehension, stating in a social media post that AI is "a tool designed only for the rich" and will become "less and less accessible" to the majority of people over time. This sentiment resonates with broader analyses suggesting AI's benefits may disproportionately accrue to wealthy individuals and large corporations.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects a dramatic surge in electricity consumption driven by AI, with data center electricity demand set to more than double by 2030, reaching approximately 945 terawatt-hours (TWh) globally, an amount comparable to Japan's current total electricity consumption. This exponential growth in demand is anticipated to transfer costs to consumers through higher electricity bills, as utility companies may pass on the expenses of expanding infrastructure. A single ChatGPT query, for instance, consumes significantly more electricity than a standard Google search.
Huber highlighted the risk of electricity becoming "way more expensive over the next 10 years," making essential quality-of-life upgrades like air conditioning and home appliances impractical for many. This issue is particularly acute for regions with "fragile electrical grids and low production like Europe and South Africa," which face considerable challenges in meeting the burgeoning energy requirements. Europe's aging power grid, for example, will require substantial investment to accommodate new data centers.
Experts from institutions like Forbes and the IMF corroborate the concerns about AI's impact on socioeconomic inequality. They note that AI's rapid advancement can lead to job displacement, especially in routine tasks, while new, high-skilled jobs often require specialized training inaccessible to many. This concentration of wealth and power among those who develop or invest in AI technologies further widens the gap between the affluent and the less privileged.
Addressing the energy supply challenge, Huber asserted that nuclear power is "30+ years away in the USA and Europe" from providing a significant solution. This aligns with industry data showing that the average construction time for new nuclear power plants completed since 2017 has been close to 10 years, often accompanied by significant delays, indicating that widespread new nuclear capacity is not a near-term answer to surging AI-driven demand.
Furthermore, the increased energy demand from AI is projected to intensify reliance on fossil fuels in some regions. Huber warned that "coal burning in Asia will increase at exponential rates," leading to "staggering health issues from air pollution." IEA reports confirm that global coal demand is reaching an all-time high, driven by growth in Asian economies like China and India, where coal remains a primary energy source for rapidly expanding industrial and urban sectors, contributing significantly to air pollution.
The confluence of these factors, from escalating electricity costs and grid strain to deepening socioeconomic divides and environmental degradation, paints a challenging picture. Huber concluded that these trends will result in "a massive decrease in quality of life for the bottom 90% of people in the world," underscoring the urgent need for policymakers and the tech industry to develop strategies that ensure AI's benefits are broadly shared and its environmental footprint is managed sustainably.