MIT Know-how Evaluation is a 2026 ASME finalist in reporting

AI is commonly described as a black field, nevertheless it’s not simply its inside workings which might be mysterious. Main AI corporations have stored figures on vitality use carefully guarded, making it laborious to find out its local weather influence. In a rigorous investigation, senior AI reporter James O’Donnell and senior local weather reporter Casey Crownhart spent six months digging by means of lots of of pages of studies, interviewing specialists, and crunching the numbers. 

The group drilled down into the vitality value of a single immediate, after which zoomed out to construct a broader image illustrating the potential impacts of AI’s present and future vitality demand. Their work revealed simply how large AI’s vitality footprint is, the place that vitality comes from, and who pays for it. Within the months following the mission’s publication, main AI corporations together with Open AI, Mistral, and Google printed particulars about their fashions’ vitality and water utilization. 

The 2026 awards can be offered in New York Metropolis on Might 19.