The AI–energy paradox

👋 Good morning/evening (wherever you are). It’s Wednesday.

AI is both a problem and a potential solution for the energy transition.

Problem:

AI data centers are consuming power at a rapid pace. MIT estimates they could use 12 to 15% of all U.S. electricity by 2030, putting pressure on the grid and climate goals.

Solution:

Used strategically, AI could do the opposite. It can help optimize power grids, accelerate clean energy innovation, and improve system efficiency.

So it’s a paradox: AI could derail climate goals or accelerate them.

Read MIT’s full breakdown.

OK let’s keep going ↓

🔥 Creative pulse

Jake Paul now has an AI-generated national TV ad.

Apparently, it was created in 2 days.

More celebrities will follow...along with creators, influencers, and business leaders who want to multiply their reach and make more money with less effort.

AI is a revenue multiplier. The smartest teams already know it.

Watch the 30-second video.

💡 Here’s what you should know

• America’s AI education pledge gains momentum

  More than 65 major organizations, from OpenAI to Apple, have pledged to support AI education and workforce training for U.S. youth.

• Google’s biggest AI updates from June

  A quick recap of new Gemini tools, scientific breakthroughs, and AI features across Google products.

• Senate bill cuts wind and solar tax credits

  Clean energy support reduced as fossil fuel incentives expand, raising concerns about power supply for AI infrastructure.

• OpenAI expands cloud deal with Oracle

  OpenAI will rent an additional 4.5 GW of U.S. data center capacity from Oracle as part of its massive Stargate AI infrastructure initiative.

• IBM lands Deutsche Telekom deal

  Deutsche Telekom cut patch times 10x using IBM’s AI platform, turning a pilot into a full rollout.

• Perplexity launches $200/month Max plan

  New top-tier subscription includes unlimited access, faster speeds, and premium models to match OpenAI and Claude Pro+. 

• Microsoft cuts 4% of workforce

  Its largest layoff of the year (~9,100 roles) comes as AI infra spending hits $80B despite strong earnings.

• LexisNexis makes AI bias scans mandatory at Law360

  As of mid‑May, Law360 reporters must run all stories through a GPT‑4–powered bias detector. The newsroom union petitioned in June after 90% rejected the mandate.

• Army creates new AI-focused career path for soldiers

  The U.S. Army is launching a dedicated occupational specialty (49B) and officer track for artificial intelligence and machine learning, marking a major shift toward embedding tech talent across its ranks.

💰 The numbers

• Emerald AI raised a $24.5M seed round to power AI data centers with smart grid switching, letting them toggle between on- and off-grid energy to cut costs and emissions.

• Wonderful raised a $34M Series A to bring multilingual AI agents to global call centers, aiming to replace offshore support with voice agents that understand dozens of languages.

• Remark raised a $16M Series A to scale human-powered expert models for e-commerce, blending manual input with AI for high-accuracy product and customer support.

• Wisq raised $15M to build an AI HR generalist that handles onboarding, policy, and internal workflows across large orgs.

• Deeto raised a $12.5M Series A to help companies turn real customer experiences into AI-usable content, replacing scripted testimonials with verified, dynamic feedback.

🧠 Thought starters

• Eminem, AI and me: why artists need new laws in the digital age

• AI models may learn concepts the same way humans do

😂 Meme of the day

Thanks for reading,

Eddie

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