I write about AI and Geopolitics
I’ve been watching the current buildout of UHVDC—the ultra-high-voltage lines designed to move massive amounts of electricity across continents—and AI data centers, and I keep coming back to a couple of questions: Are these two things building a virtuous cycle that pays for the grid of the future? Or are they locking us into a … Read more
Two questions get asked together so often that they can sound like one question. They aren’t. “Where is AI headed?” is a question about engineering — about what frontier labs can build next. “Can the world’s nations keep up?” is a question about power — about who can afford to build it, who controls the … Read more
Here’s what I’m wrestling with—and why it matters beyond AI policy circles: In early July 2026, I asked thirteen frontier AI models two structured questions. The first was simple: is the world prepared for artificial general intelligence (systems that could match or surpass humans across many tasks) across six dimensions—technical infrastructure, regulation, safety and alignment … Read more
Documented Damage, the Tools That Were Ignored, and Where to Look Next Executive Summary Parts 1 and 2 established the ecological mechanisms and the regulatory architecture that make cumulative watershed collapse nearly invisible. This final installment shows the damage is no longer hypothetical. In Paulding County, Georgia — and in watersheds like the Potomac and … Read more
Executive Summary More than 1,500 new data centers are in various stages of development across the United States, with 67% of planned facilities slated for rural areas that have historically experienced little industrial hydrological stress. These facilities are routinely sited and permitted as individual projects, making their cumulative impact on regional aquifers, river systems, and … Read more