AI’s Hidden Environmental Cost and the Rise of the Smart Pill That Knows When You Take It

🌍 AI’s Carbon and Water Footprint

Artificial intelligence feels invisible, but its infrastructure is massive. From data centres and specialist servers to cooling systems and power grids, AI is driving a surge in energy and water use around the world. Now research suggests global AI systems may already produce carbon emissions comparable to a city like New York, while the water required to run and cool them could exceed total global bottled water consumption. In this segment, we explore why big tech companies disclose so little about AI’s true footprint — and what that means for users, sustainability, and the future of digital growth. The Digiconomist Alex de Vries-Gao joins us on the show.

💊 The Smart Pill Revolution

One of the biggest problems in healthcare isn’t new drugs - it’s getting people to take the ones they already have. In the US alone, around 50% of patients don’t follow prescriptions properly, costing the system more than $100 billion every year and contributing to tens of thousands of premature deaths. Now researchers have created a dissolvable electronic “smart pill” that can confirm when medication has actually been taken. It’s safe and biodegradable. We look at how ingestible technology could transform treatment, accountability, and patient care worldwide. Professor Giovanni Traverso, who led the team at MIT explains the tech.

The programme was presented by Ania Lichtarowicz.

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Production manager: Liz Tuohy

Editor: Ania Lichtarowicz

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