Is AI Compute A Public Utility?

If compute is to AI what energy is to an aluminum plant, what happens when we start treating it like a utility? As 2025 draws to a close, tech firms have already poured over $400 billion into AI infrastructure globally – and AI continues to reshape our world with each passing second.While AI tools and products become woven into government services, businesses, and our daily routines, we stop to ask: shouldn't the providers of compute infrastructure be considered public utilities? And if so, what opportunities arise?In this episode, we revisit our conversation from May, which remains more relevant than ever, and dive into the current debate on AI compute and the risks of rapid scaling without proper regulation. Listen along as we explore potential solutions against keeping production capacity in private hands – from market liberalization (think energy markets) to private investment over state subsidies, state loans, and hybrid models.How can we prioritize fairness in the AI compute market and what is lost when the potential profits of the world's richest compute companies far outweigh the reputational risk of rolling back their sustainability plans? Link to Max's LinkedIn post: https://ltmv.io/max-postSources: CNN Business-Paradigms is a podcast produced by Leitmotiv – an independent think tank focused on operationalizing values in our digital future.Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6SIqDnLt5wAl6jZRboqgSF?si=2e29d270de83472dApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-ai-compute-a-public-utility/id1842815462?i=1000743083552YouTube: https://youtu.be/ADPMxjw-4xAHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.