Steve Goreham: Can Net Zero Survive the Artificial Intelligence Revolution? | Tom Nelson Pod #349

Steve Goreham discusses the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, notably since the release of ChatGPT, and its significant impact on energy consumption and the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. He highlights the massive increase in data centers required for AI, which significantly raise electricity demand and challenge renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Additionally, Goreham discusses challenges with current renewable energy policies, inefficiencies, and the need for sensible adaptation strategies rather than aggressive shifts to renewables. 00:00 Introduction to Steve Goreham and the AI Revolution 01:23 The Impact of AI on Net Zero Goals 02:25 Data Centers and Their Growing Energy Demands 03:37 Power Plants and Energy Sources in the AI Era 08:59 Challenges and Criticisms of Renewable Energy 21:44 Global AI Expansion and Its Implications 22:56 European Policies and AI Ambitions 26:57 COP 30 and the Global Energy Landscape 31:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts https://www.stevegoreham.com/ https://x.com/stevegoreham ========= Slides for this podcast, and AI summaries of all of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1