Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence

Kate Crawford challenges the myth that artificial intelligence is a weightless, abstract phenomenon. She maps the industry’s physical expansion, starting with the ecological destruction caused by lithium mining and the massive energy consumption of server farms. The book tracks how tech companies exploit underpaid human labor for data labeling and utilize massive datasets harvested without consent. Crawford argues that AI functions primarily as a tool for state and corporate surveillance, reinforcing existing social hierarchies and intensifying the centralisation of global political power.

This book serves researchers, policymakers, and technologists who need to understand the material reality behind algorithmic systems. It appeals to readers curious about the intersection of environmental science and computer engineering. Instead of focusing on code or futuristic speculation, the reader gains a clear view of the labor exploitation and resource extraction necessary to sustain digital infrastructure. One walks away with a framework for viewing technical advancement through the lens of political economy and planetary sustainability.