If AI is so smart, why can’t it clean up its own mess?

David Lapp, from Maryland's Office of People’s Counsel, highlights the escalating electricity costs in the Chesapeake Bay region driven by the growing demand from AI data centers, which he describes as a "huge wealth transfer from consumers to some of the richest companies on earth." Power demand in the region has tripled in the last decade and is projected to double or triple again within a few years, necessitating extensive new transmission lines, such as a proposed 70-mile high-voltage line through Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick counties in Maryland, threatening open spaces and natural habitats. The article criticizes AI's lack of energy efficiency despite its advanced capabilities, noting that large data centers require significant power and millions of gallons of water daily for cooling. Economist Carl Benedikt Frey suggests that limits on energy use could compel AI to develop more efficient technologies, drawing a parallel to how advanced sewage treatment was developed in water-scarce South Africa. Lapp argues that making AI companies pay the full cost for their data centers and related infrastructure, including new transmission lines, would incentivize greater energy efficiency. Nature Forward, a Bethesda-based environmental group, has formed Marylanders for Data Center Reform, a coalition of over 40 organizations, to address these issues. Lydia Lawrence, Nature Forward's conservation director, points out that states in the Bay region are struggling to keep pace with the AI boom. While some states have enacted legislation to curb consumer costs, Maryland and Virginia continue to offer financial incentives for data center development. A key concern shared by Lawrence and Lapp is that AI companies "shopping around" for sites leads to overestimated electrical needs and potentially overcharging consumers. Lawrence advocates for AI companies to "bring their own power," ideally from wind and solar sources, to mitigate grid strain and environmental impact.