As Artificial Intelligence Grows, U.S. Fails to Address One Threat That Could Cause Everything to Shut Down

Artificial intelligence is no longer just an emerging technology. A recent Pew Research Center survey indicates that 62% of Americans interact with AI multiple times per week. Companies across the U.S. are rapidly exploring ways AI can cut costs, enhance products, and boost profits. Visionaries like Elon Musk even foresee a future where AI and robotics could create such abundance that work becomes optional and money loses relevance.

Massive investments are being made in new data centers to support the surging demand for AI. Some projections suggest U.S. electricity usage could rise by 25% over the next five years as these facilities come online, potentially driving consumer electricity prices up by 40% or more. Our economy, our daily lives, and even our social structures are increasingly dependent on continuous electricity and data processing.

While public discourse often focuses on AI overtaking humans, a potentially more immediate threat is the sudden loss of electricity and electronic systems. Our civilization relies on the uninterrupted flow of electrons through circuits. Yet circuits are vulnerable: excess voltage or current can overheat and destroy them, as seen when lightning strikes electronics. Protective measures such as lightning rods and Faraday cages have long been used to shield devices from natural surges.

Two major low-probability events could trigger a catastrophic disruption of electricity. The first is an extreme solar storm, known as a "Carrington event," which could unleash geomagnetic forces hundreds of times stronger than normal storms, as occurred in 1859, when telegraph systems were destroyed. The second is a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) caused by detonating a nuclear device above the U.S., capable of incapacitating electronic infrastructure across vast regions.

Though estimates vary, some suggest a 1012% chance for either event in the next decade. The potential consequences are staggering: a 2008 government report indicated that 90% of Americans could perish within six months of a HEMP event, given the total dependence of modern systems on electricity. With our reliance on AI and digital systems growing, vulnerability has only increased.

Despite these risks, national preparedness remains unclear. Questions persist about whether new data centers and power infrastructure incorporate EMP protections. Transportation systems and other critical services are similarly exposed. While low-cost, reliable electricity has been a cornerstone of U.S. strength, it now represents a significant vulnerability in the nuclear era.

Efforts were initiated under a 2024 directive to create a National Resilience Strategy and a National Critical Infrastructure Policy, but neither appears to have been fully implemented. Local and state-level initiatives are also inconsistent. The existential nature of this threat demands careful attention, planning, and investment, yet the urgency has not matched the scale of the risk.

As we integrate AI ever more deeply into society, ignoring the potential collapse of electrical and electronic systems could prove catastrophic. Preparing for such low-probability but high-impact events is not optionalit is essential for the survival of modern civilization.

Author: Aiden Foster