The media loves to portray Gen Z as uniformly opposed to fossil fuels, with Greta Thunberg as our supposed spokesperson. But there’s an inconvenient truth behind this dream of theirs: My generation is building an AI-powered future that demands more energy than any generation before.
As Woodside Energy CEO Meg O’Neill recently pointed out, there’s a striking contradiction between the ideological opposition to fossil fuels and the reality of how energy-intensive our digital lives have become. Young people are “happily plugging in their devices, ordering things from Shein and Temu,” without recognizing the massive energy demands these activities require. Add in the fact that Gen Z makes up the largest share of AI users—with over 88% using ChatGPT or something similar regularly—and the energy contradiction becomes impossible to ignore. A single ChatGPT query consumes roughly 10 times more energy than a traditional Google search, yet we’re the generation most likely to use these tools daily.
- Gen Z is the largest group of AI users, and AI tools like ChatGPT consume significantly more energy than traditional digital tools.
- Energy policy failures in places like Germany and California show the dangers of relying on unreliable energy sources and ignoring the need for energy security.
- America should meet rising energy demand with reliable, market-driven solutions like natural gas and nuclear power to support innovation, strengthen national security, and keep energy affordable.
Read more in RealClearEnergy here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
