A fascinating thing that happens with technology. Back in Victorian Industrial Darkshire 1865, an economist called William Jevons noticed something interesting about coal use; When we made steam engines more efficient, instead of using less coal, we actually ended up using more of it! With obvious effects, people dropped dead from coal pollution.

Now, we’re seeing exactly the same thing happening with artificial intelligence (AI). At scale.

As we make these AI systems more efficient – and they’re becoming incredibly efficient – we’re not actually using less computing power. We’re using more.

Think about what’s happening here: Every time we make AI better at processing information, instead of scaling back, we just find more useful things to do with it. It’s a bit like giving someone a more efficient rocket – they don’t use less fuel, they just go further into space.

Consequently, it affects everything around it. When we make AI more efficient at handling tasks, companies don’t just maintain their current operations. No, they expand! They ‘Dream bigger!’ They tackle more complex problems and process more and more data faster and faster… another law Moores Law! A cascade of increasing complexity and capability.

You see, that’s what makes this paradox so incredible, it shows us that efficiency doesn’t lead to reduction. It leads to expansion. And in a way, isn’t that the story of life itself? As systems become more efficient, they don’t become simpler – they become more complex, more interesting, more wonderful.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I’ll tackle the dark side of the adverse effect of higher energy consumption from AI and Crypto products next time. It’s even more topical the week the US President cancelled low carbon projects, instructed oil companies to ‘Drill, drill, drill’, and cranked up AI investment while promoting environmentally destructive high energy use Cryptocurrency.

Jevons Paradox has not been so relevant since coal powered factories consumed the population of the North of England.

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Futurist, innovator and technology vulture. An avid reader and thinker, I love to join the dots. Always seeking the next big recombination idea!