Underneath the Surface
In our past few weeks of looking at what discernment looks like as investors, we have looked at greenwashing, corporate oversights, and company abandonment of mission. These (among many other red flags) are fairly clear signs of companies that may not align with how Scripture calls us to steward.
Some investments do not raise obvious red flags. They do not sell vice products, dominate headlines with scandals, or advertise political agendas. They may even appear innovative, convenient, and essential. But Christian discernment asks a deeper question: what happens when this business model succeeds?
Data centers and AI dominate the headlines, but what is actually happening when NVDA sells billions in GPUs and ORCL is building out databases, or when mega investors force their way into communities to take advantage of energy generation to power these data centers?
Most data centers today tend to privatize profits while socializing the costs, distributing higher utility bills and waste byproducts to the community while retaining revenue among the executives. ¹ The jobs provided by data center buildouts predominantly rely on temporary positions that don’t provide lasting impact for communities or workers. ²
AI has been a massive development for productivity, but its costs-to-benefits ratio is disproportionately left-tail skewed. The hype and marketing of the AI wave, and the mechanisms in place to drive more AI training, have led many users to transition all tasks to AI, even when those tasks don’t require the heavyweight load of AI. Estimates vary on the amount of energy used, but an AI prompt can use about 5 times as much electricity as a simple browser search, ³ and some image-generation prompts use as much electricity as fully charging a smartphone. ⁴
Some other examples of this are industries like fast fashion and food delivery services. When you order a shirt that you don’t need from Shein or Amazon Haul, are you comfortable with the pollution created and energy wasted by this? There are estimates that fashion contributes around 10% of global emissions, and 85% of textiles end up landfilled or incinerated. ⁵ When you order Taco Bell to your doorstep, there’s a pretty good chance that that driver is earning below minimum wage and working long hours with no work benefits. ⁶ These things are not inherently bad, and investing in the companies that provides these services does not make you evil-adjacent, but it’s important to know what happens beyond the stock returns.
This—like all our stances and advocations—is not an argument against any particular thing. We use AI regularly, and it has a vast amount of potential to drive real good in the world. Food delivery and textile production do provide jobs for people who need them. Nothing is black or white, and everything must be understood with nuance and a measured level of discernment. When we think about data centers and AI that dominate the headlines, like most things, it can get wrapped up in marketing and ambition, with its benefits inflated as its popularity grows. Revisiting the introductory question: what happens when executives in flashy leather jackets or sparkly jewelry succeed in promoting their product?
Are you comfortable with the cost of that success and the direction your investments are moving the world in?
Sources
Harvard Law School, “How data centers may lead to higher electricity bills,” September 2, 2025. https://hls.harvard.edu/today/how-data-centers-may-lead-to-higher-electricity-bills/
Data Center Knowledge, “How Many Jobs Do Data Centers Create? It Depends,” September 22, 2025. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/operations-and-management/how-many-jobs-do-data-centers-create-it-depends
MIT News, “Explained: Generative AI’s environmental impact,” January 16, 2025. https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117
MIT Technology Review, “Making an image with generative AI uses as much energy as charging your phone,” December 1, 2023. https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/12/01/1084189/making-an-image-with-generative-ai-uses-as-much-energy-as-charging-your-phone/
UNFCCC, “UN Helps Fashion Industry Shift to Low Carbon,” September 5, 2018. https://unfccc.int/news/un-helps-fashion-industry-shift-to-low-carbon
Economic Policy Institute, “National survey of gig workers shows poor working conditions and low pay,” May 31, 2022. https://www.epi.org/press/national-survey-of-gig-workers-shows-poor-working-conditions-and-low-pay/
