Scholarlink

<p>Artificial intelligence is promoted as a key to sustainable urban futures, yet its material, energy, and labor costs often remain hidden. This perspective introduces political–industrial ecology as a framework to explore AI’s life-cycle impacts—from sites of extraction and energy-intensive data centers to urban applications. Using this framework, I map out the interconnected layers of AI infrastructure and identify guiding research questions, focusing on material transparency and integrating life-cycle metrics with social impacts.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Artificial intelligence’s metabolic footprint and the political-industrial ecology of urban sustainability

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月29日

查看全文
  • Joshua J. Cousins

摘要

Artificial intelligence is promoted as a key to sustainable urban futures, yet its material, energy, and labor costs often remain hidden. This perspective introduces political–industrial ecology as a framework to explore AI’s life-cycle impacts—from sites of extraction and energy-intensive data centers to urban applications. Using this framework, I map out the interconnected layers of AI infrastructure and identify guiding research questions, focusing on material transparency and integrating life-cycle metrics with social impacts.