Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Will AI be a disaster for the climate, or a saviour in disguise? How is AI reshaping power needs around the world? And does a lack of clean electricity spell the end of the AI dream, or a new round of fossil-fuel reliant data centres? All this, and more in the audio adaptation of Michel's article for BloombergNEF: Generative AI: The Power and the Glory.
Read the full piece at: about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-generative-ai-the-power-and-the-glory
Parts or all of this episode were made by a fake voice created using ElevenLabs AI. Can you tell which parts are Michael, and which parts are his AI counterpart, Mike Headroom? The answer can be found at the end of the episode!
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Links and More:
For a full list of background reading to accompany this Audioblog, visit: open.substack.com/pub/cleaninguppod/p/a-super-secret-ai-reading-list
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
02:04 - A Brief History of AI
10:29 - How Quickly Will AI Take Over?
14:40 - Data Centres & GPUs
19:30 - AI & Power Demand
26:30 - AI Growth vs Increasing Efficiency
30:27 - The Broader Economy
35:00 - The Hunt for Green Power
39:00 - Is Nuclear The Answer?
45:00 - New Energy Innovation
52:40 - Conclusions
Will AI be a disaster for the climate, or a saviour in disguise? How is AI reshaping power needs around the world? And does a lack of clean electricity spell the end of the AI dream, or a new round of fossil-fuel reliant data centres? All this, and more in the audio adaptation of Michel's article for BloombergNEF: Generative AI: The Power and the Glory.
Read the full piece at: about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-generative-ai-the-power-and-the-glory
Parts or all of this episode were made by a fake voice created using ElevenLabs AI. Can you tell which parts are Michael, and which parts are his AI counterpart, Mike Headroom? The answer can be found at the end of the episode!
Leadership Circle:
Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.
Links and More:
For a full list of background reading to accompany this Audioblog, visit: open.substack.com/pub/cleaninguppod/p/a-super-secret-ai-reading-list
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
02:04 - A Brief History of AI
10:29 - How Quickly Will AI Take Over?
14:40 - Data Centres & GPUs
19:30 - AI & Power Demand
26:30 - AI Growth vs Increasing Efficiency
30:27 - The Broader Economy
35:00 - The Hunt for Green Power
39:00 - Is Nuclear The Answer?
45:00 - New Energy Innovation
52:40 - Conclusions
