Is the wager worth it?

Question

The bull case: AI eats energy now but cracks fusion, better batteries, and grid optimization later — spending watts today to mint watts forever. The bear case: that's what a gambler says at 2am.

Accepted Answer

This is the whole debate compressed: is AI's energy use a cost or an investment? US data centers used 4.4% of the nation's electricity in 2023, headed for as much as 12% by 2028. The wager is being placed either way. (38% of Americans answer "Worth it" — floor est.)