Investigation into AI’s hidden energy demands earns recognition from the American Society of Magazine Editors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — MIT Technology Review has been named a finalist for a 2026 National Magazine Award in the reporting category by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), one of the most prestigious honors in magazine journalism.

The recognition highlights a major investigative story, “We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard,” part of MIT Technology Review’s Power Hungry: AI and our energy future editorial package examining the environmental impact of artificial intelligence.

The investigation was led by senior AI reporter James O’Donnell and senior climate reporter Casey Crownhart, who spent six months examining hundreds of reports, interviewing experts, and analyzing data to better understand the scale of AI’s energy consumption.

MIT Technology Review’s journalists first examined the energy cost of a single AI prompt before zooming out to reveal the bigger picture: how much energy AI requires, where that energy comes from, and who ultimately pays for it.

Their reporting offers one of the clearest pictures yet on AI’s energy usage, shedding light on the electricity required to operate them, and the broader impact it has on climate, infrastructure, and global energy systems.

Following the story’s release, several major AI companies including OpenAI, Mistral, and Google shared new information about the energy and water usage of their own models.

Winners of the 2026 National Magazine Awards will be announced at a ceremony in New York City on May 19, 2026.

To read the deep, insightful, investigative reporting from Power Hungry: AI and our energy future, go to technologyreview.com/energy-ai.

Members of the press may obtain additional information and access by emailing [email protected].

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