Utility companies are promising to spare us from AI’s energy bill

Nearly 200 organizations, including NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, Equinix, and Digital Realty, have signed President Donald Trump’s “rate payer protection pledge” to address fears that the AI boom will raise consumer electricity bills. The pledge, introduced in March and set for a Thursday announcement, matters because utilities and data center developers are trying to blunt backlash over who will pay for the power demand driven by AI.

The pledge was introduced in March, and has done little to quell concerns so far. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images In the face of backlash to concerns the AI boom will increase consumer electricity bills, the largest utility companies and data center developers in the US are now promising to do something about it. The Wall Street Journal reports that nearly 200 organizations have signed President Donald Trump's "rate payer protection pledge" that's meant to safeguard consumers from footing the AI bill. Trump is expected to announce the new signatories on Thursday, which includes NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, Equinix, and Digital Realty, according to a list obtained by The WSJ . An unnamed White House official told the publication that those who have comm … Read the full story at The Verge.