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The AI–energy paradox
Can AI solve the energy crisis it’s helping create?
👋 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.
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.
💡 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
😂 Meme of the day

Thanks for reading,
Eddie
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