Osman Şenkul
Some time ago (9 November 2025), in these very lines, we discussed data indicating that the severe job losses caused by automation and other technological developments, particularly digital advancements, had accelerated significantly with the advent of artificial intelligence. As we mentioned earlier, we are closely monitoring announcements, news reports, and commentaries that indicate a significant acceleration in technology-driven mass layoffs in recent months, and we can see the extent to which these developments have escalated.
Therefore, it is impossible not to predict that the scale of layoffs in the coming period will be many times greater than those carried out to date. Although unemployment in Turkey, fuelled by shrinking production and a lack of new investment, is climbing to some of the highest rates worldwide, it is also not difficult to predict that technology and artificial intelligence-based layoffs in developed countries will cause serious problems on a similar scale in the coming period.
In short, while there is an increasing discourse and examples of artificial intelligence ‘creating miracles,’ warnings and data are emerging that it will actually cause another serious problem that has been on the agenda for some time but has been kept in the background because it is not as noticeable as unemployment: AI-based systems, which have caused millions of people to lose their jobs in their very first steps, are also proving to be a major contributor to the ‘climate crisis,’ which is already a huge problem and one we have been struggling to combat for a long time. More importantly, data is already emerging that suggests this damage will increase exponentially in the coming period…
Although scientists have long been aware of this serious problem and have been conducting research on it, it did not gain much public attention until Democratic Socialist Senator Bernard Sanders from Vermont, USA, took an important step and brought it to the forefront of the agenda in the US and, consequently, the world.
Sanders and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican with whom he had never agreed on any issue before, were persuaded to join forces and take action against the ‘data centre boom in the artificial intelligence industry.’ In the US, the fact that two national figures from the left and right wings share the same view reveals a political reckoning over the impact of the artificial intelligence industry on electricity prices, grid stability and the labour market.
Sanders said in an interview with CNN on 28 December, ‘Frankly, I think we need to slow this process down.’ ‘It’s not enough for the oligarchs to tell us this is coming and for you to adapt. What are they talking about? Will they guarantee healthcare for all? What will they do when people lose their jobs?’ he asked.
Sanders also called for a ‘national moratorium’ on the construction of ‘data centres,’ known to be incredibly large consumers of electricity.
Florida Governor DeSantis also stated, ‘We have a limited network. There is insufficient network capacity in the United States to achieve what they are attempting to do.’ Speaking at an event in The Villages, Florida, about the artificial intelligence industry’s data centre plans, DeSantis asked, ‘As more and more information comes to light, do you want a hyperscale data centre in The Villages? Yes or no?’ ‘I think most people would say no.’ Florida and Vermont are not major data centre states, but rising electricity bills played a significant role in the landslide victory of Democrat Abigail Spanberger in this year’s gubernatorial election in Virginia, the world’s largest data centre market, where she highlighted this important issue.
Efforts to curb the expansion of massive energy-consuming data centres, which are attempting to open up almost everywhere,
are gaining momentum and strength in the US and other countries, partly due to Bernie Sanders’ stance on the matter. Those following Sanders point out that data centres that have been built and are now operational consume 10 MW or more of energy, which equates to 7.2 million kWh per month or 87.6 million kWh per year.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has prepared a comprehensive study on this subject entitled ‘Artificial Intelligence’. The study first draws attention to the following point:
“Artificial intelligence data centres are projected to consume 945 TWh (terawatt hours) of energy by 2030. This figure exceeds the current total energy consumption of Germany and France and is more than double the 415 TWh consumed in 2024. By 2030, artificial intelligence alone could account for more than 20 per cent of the increase in total electricity demand, and fossil fuels will continue to meet approximately 40 per cent of the new demand. Renewable energy integration is crucial to reduce risks related to continuity, energy security, costs and carbon exposure.”
The WEF report does not stop there; it also points out that artificial intelligence data centres are also massive consumers of water:
“Artificial intelligence data centres consume huge amounts of water for cooling. By 2030, global data centre water usage is expected to rise from 292 million gallons in 2022 to 450 million gallons. This is equivalent to the daily water usage of approximately 5 million people… Water is also consumed in electricity generation and chip production. On a large scale, AI’s water footprint could directly compete with agricultural, municipal, and industrial needs, making water a strategic constraint on sustainable AI growth.”
The WEF report also touches upon ‘critical minerals,’ which are poised to become another significant issue of our time:
“Artificial intelligence infrastructure relies on a wide variety of materials, from steel, aluminium and silicon to lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and rare earths, the production of which requires significant amounts of energy and water and often has a heavy impact on the environment. Most of these are concentrated in scarce or ecologically fragile and geopolitically sensitive regions, creating strategic risks in terms of scalability and resilience. For example, 70 per cent of cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where child labour and corruption are widespread; lithium extraction in South America consumes vast amounts of water in arid regions; and China controls approximately 90 per cent of global rare earth element processing, increasing geopolitical risk amid US-China tensions. With demand for critical materials expected to triple by 2030, supply insecurity, regulatory scrutiny and rising capital costs are creating increasing challenges for investors and companies.
Another key issue highlighted in the report was identified as ‘nature and society’:
“As artificial intelligence’s demand for energy, water and materials increases, communities face growing resource scarcity and rising costs, while intensified extraction and emissions accelerate biodiversity loss. A total of more than 1,200 mining sites overlap with areas of high biodiversity importance, and since 2005, approximately 800 disputes have caused costly delays and reputational damage. In Chile’s Atacama Desert, legal proceedings forced lithium producers to halve their extraction volumes, slowing global supply. For companies, weak stakeholder participation jeopardises permits and operations; for investors, community conflicts erode value; for policymakers, strong regulations are needed to protect ecological and social resilience.
Meanwhile, another international financial institution concerned with the issue, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), warns that 60 per cent of jobs in advanced economies and 40 per cent in emerging markets are already exposed to artificial intelligence. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), established in 1959 by 20 governments in North and South America to finance development, has revealed that 980 million jobs worldwide face a high risk of disruption this year, according to its occupational exposure index. Furthermore, the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report reveals that 41 per cent of employers plan to reduce their workforce by 2030 due to artificial intelligence. Thousands of companies have already begun implementing these plans, laying off hundreds of thousands of people.
Furthermore, the fear of being laid off due to the impact of artificial intelligence or merely its mention has spread to almost all workplaces, leading to widespread pressure on workers’ wages. The Wage Loss Monitoring Report published by Research Unit of Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK-AR) on 7 January shows that the total cost of inflation and taxes on workers’ wages will reach ‘at least 2 trillion 501 billion lira’ by 2025. Of course, situations where worker losses peak and wages hit rock bottom are not new in Turkey, but it would not be wrong to say that the fear of losing one’s job due to artificial intelligence has become a ‘Sword of Damocles’ for workers in almost all sectors.