AI shapes our environment – ​​where do architects come into play?

The illusion of immaterial AI

Artificial intelligence is often portrayed as intangible, a cloud service that hovers over us like a virtual god. In reality, the AI ​​economy is producing one of the largest infrastructure systems ever built. Its physical manifestation – the data center – is extremely water and energy intensive, but its rapid expansion is occurring under limited strategic control. These facilities are often located in regions where there are already resource constraints or in areas with limited political influence where land is available and permits can be obtained quickly.

AI companies are looking to expand computing capacity, with data centers being built at a pace that prioritizes speed over long-term integration. There is no clear policy framework for how and where this infrastructure will be built, leaving planning authorities and architects as the final key watchdogs before ground is broken…