As the world hurtles towards a future dominated by artificial intelligence, comedian Charlie Berens is shining a spotlight on the dark underbelly of the AI industry: the sprawling datacenters that power it all. These massive facilities, often hidden from public view, are the lifeblood of AI, consuming vast amounts of energy and generating staggering amounts of e-waste.
Berens, a Wisconsin native and creator of the popular “Woodchuck of the North” character, has made it his mission to expose the truth about these datacenters. He’s been investigating the sites, talking to workers and local residents, and what he’s found is alarming. For one, these datacenters are often located in rural areas, where local communities are forced to bear the brunt of the environmental and social impacts. “It’s like they’re taking our land, our water, and our air, and we’re getting nothing in return,” says one local resident. The facilities themselves are often massive, with some covering over 1 million square feet – roughly the size of 20 football fields.
Berens’ investigation has also uncovered the shocking fact that many of these datacenters are exempt from environmental regulations, thanks to a loophole in the law that treats them as “industrial facilities” rather than datacenters. This means they’re not required to disclose their energy usage or waste generation, making it impossible for the public to hold them accountable. As Berens puts it, “Nobody’s negotiating for the people here. The only ones negotiating are the corporations and the government.”