AshleyBialas
Claude, Google Gemini and ChatGPT are some of the most popular artificial intelligence (AI) search engines on the internet today. With incredible ease, users can type any prompt into these AI engines and receive information in seconds. But how does this amount of ease fit into the real world, and what are its effects?

Senior Violet Christen, member of Marian’s Sustainability Board, expresses her concerns about AI’s effects on the environment. She specifically highlights how detrimental data centers can be, not only to the ecosystems there, but also to the people living in close proximity to them.

Data centers are physical facilities that house the hardware necessary to operate and train AI systems. “For the people that live close to [the data centers], you can see the sediment in the water because the data center is taking all of the clean water,” Christen said.

In a Brookings article, a non-profit public policy “think tank,” Joseph W. Kane, environmental and economic development reporter, estimates that these centers can use 300,000 to 5 million gallons of water each day, the equivalent to meet the needs of 50,000 residents on the high end. 

Christen also explained that these major corporations and AI are “affecting how people live.” The livelihoods for residents in Nebraska counties such as Cass, Otoe, Lancaster and Gage, could feel these effects. Google already has three data centers in Papillion, Omaha and Lincoln, with potential plans to build another center requiring as much as three times the amount of power as the city of Lincoln, according to Flatwater Free Press. The proposal of this data center left many Nebraskans confused and hesitant. Mrs. Katy Salzman, social studies teacher, explained that “people are getting upset” as well that “everything is happening so fast.”

Historically, Nebraska has been a public power state, meaning that private companies were not allowed to own and operate their own power plant but with a data center requiring this much power, the public power district is likely not able to keep up with the demand. “Energy is terrible for the environment,” Salzman said. She continued: “Coal is still the primary energy source to fund data centers in Omaha and most of eastern Nebraska which emits a great deal of CO2 into the air, which is harmful to the environment and to human health.”

Building more power plants to keep up with energy demand is a reasonable conclusion but living in close proximity to one can severely impact health according to the American Lung Association. Emissions from the burning fuel are the largest source of carbon pollution, which significantly drives climate change and ultimately threatens health.

Salzman also asked the question many have on their mind: “Who is approving these?” Alongside the many negatives, there are significant positives. Flatwater Free Press, Nebraska’s nonprofit news channel, explains how Google has supported more than 13,000 jobs and invested $3.5 billion in Nebraska’s digital infrastructure with potential plans for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Still, many are left questioning how their communities will be affected.

While Google still has significant negotiations to pursue before any official plans for this new data center launch, the growing effects of AI on humans and the environment persist.

Another question about AI is its use globally. Especially in US relations with China “[AI] has become very prominent,” Salzman said. She also weighed in on the U.S.’s competition with China for access to information and weapons systems. Many advanced weaponry systems can take years to build but with advances in AI, new discoveries on more efficient and cheaper practices have come into the spotlight.

In relation to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, “drones are becoming more popular,” Salzman said. Alongside 3D printing parts of drones in an attempt to create quick and cost effective weapons, they have also faced serious backlash. A United Nations report from March 2026 explained that short-range drones caused the highest casualties for civilians in Ukraine.

Salzman also said that Anthropic, Open AI and Google Deep Mind, ginormous tech companies and leading producers of AI, have communicated with the public “a very stern warning that AI could quickly run out of control and turn on humanity.” But the severity of this situation in reality is relatively unknown.