Powering AI: Who Pays the Price of the Data Center Boom?

AI’s rapid growth requires enormous computing power — and the data centers providing it are changing communities, energy demand, and local economies. This session examines the tradeoffs behind that growth, from tax incentives and job creation to energy use, noise, emissions, zoning, and neighborhood impact. What should communities expect in return for hosting the infrastructure powering the AI economy, and what does responsible growth look like?