AI’s growing appetite for power is a public health issue. Here’s a fix

By Sten H. Vermund and Patricia J. KissingerJune 18, 2026

Vermund is dean of the University of South Florida College of Public Health and a professor of epidemiology. Kissinger is associate dean of the Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and a professor of epidemiology.

From accelerating drug discovery to improving diagnostics, AI’s potential in health care is enormous.

But AI is also creating a new and largely overlooked strain on something fundamental to health: the electricity and water systems that sustain modern life.

The computing power behind AI depends on vast data centers running continuously. These facilities require extraordinary amounts of electricity and water for cooling at a scale growing faster than many communities and power grids can accommodate.