Future data centers are driving up forecasts for energy demand. States want proof they'll get built

The forecasts are eye-popping: utilities saying they’ll need two or three times more electricity within a few years to power massive new data centers that are feeding a fast-growing AI economy. One burning question is whether the forecasts are based on data center projects that may never get built — eliciting concern that regular ratepayers could be stuck with the bill to build unnecessary power plants and grid infrastructure at a cost of billions of dollars. Meanwhile, consumer advocates are finding that ratepayers in some areas — such as the mid-Atlantic electricity grid, which encompasses all or parts of 13 states stretching from New Jersey to Illinois, as well as Washington, D.C. — are already underwriting the cost to supply power to data centers, some of them built, some not.

How to save money on groceries using AI

If you’re struggling to stay on budget, have you tried turning to AI for help? News4 asked three AI chatbots — ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini — the same question: Put together a shopping list that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner for a family of four with a $150 budget in my ZIP code. The results were pretty good. ChatGPT was…