Can AI Scale Sustainably?

AI is often framed as the future of productivity and innovation. But what happens when the infrastructure powering that future begins straining the systems around it? 

In the latest episode of The Impact Series on the Green Builder Media Network, Mike Collignon sits down with Kate Berglund of the Center for Humane Technology to explore one of the least discussed consequences of AI expansion: its environmental footprint.

At first glance, AI may seem like a purely digital revolution.

But behind every AI query, chatbot response, and automated workflow is a growing network of massive data centers consuming enormous amounts of energy, water, and land. Berglund explains how these facilities are rapidly expanding—and why some projections suggest data centers could account for 12% of U.S. energy consumption by 2028.

She also touches on questions such as:

• How much energy is AI infrastructure really consuming?
• What environmental tradeoffs are being overlooked in the race for AI dominance?
• Are regulators moving fast enough to keep pace with AI’s expansion?
• What happens when technology outpaces its guardrails?

As AI adoption accelerates, this conversation frames the urgent questions we must get answered.

Watch the full episode to hear the discussion.