Electric Futures

We’re now on the other side of the midterm elections and we learned a lot about the depth of Americans’ desire for change.  We have been exploring the visceral negative response Americans have to the expansion of AI. In its survey of 3,000 Americans last month, the USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication found that 71% of respondents don’t trust big tech companies to act in their best interests. But 59% don’t trust the national government, either. And 65% of daily AI users don’t trust big tech when it comes to data centers and nearly half don’t trust the national government on that topic.To unpack those numbers and the midterm election results, I’m joined by Dave Karpf, an associate professor in the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University. He is also the author of the upcoming book, Vaporware, Inc.: How Silicon Valley Sells the Future to Control the Present.Our Season 4 artwork is by Gina Lee.

Today is the day before the mid-term elections in the United States, and it’s also the day that USC Annenberg's Center for Climate Journalism and Communication releases findings from its survey of 3000 Americans who told us last month not only about their skepticism of AI and data centers, but how little they  trust  big tech companies to act in the interest of society. The rest of season 4 will roll out after the election. In a departure from our typical storytelling format, we will unpack the issues through the lens of  the survey data --  which blew our minds -- with experts from across the country, including my colleagues here at USC.In our first episode, I’m joined by Wändi Bruine de Bruin, the Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology and Behavioral Science and Senior Scholar at the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy and Government Service; then I am joined by Allison Agsten, the director of Center for Climate Journalism and Communication and this podcast’s executive producer.Artwork by Gina Lee.

¿Alguna vez te has preguntado qué sucedería si cruzaras una comunidad agrícola con la forma más avanzada de tecnología humana?¡Fuimos al Valle Imperial para averiguarlo! En este episodio especial de Electric Futures, describimos cómo la demanda de centros de datos y de la inteligencia artificial está alterando el tejido no solo del Valle Imperial de California, sino también el de comunidades en todo el país.Puedes seguirnos en Instagram en ⁠⁠⁠@usc_electricfutures⁠⁠⁠⁠.Recursos adicionales del Centro Annenberg de Periodismo y Comunicación Climática de la USC:The Data Center Next Door, Key Considerations for Communities Navigating Data Center DevelopmentHow to Create a Climate Podcast----- Este episodio fue una colaboración con Dimelo, la unica publicacion en espanol para USC Annenberg Media. Las voces de las entrevistas fueron hechas por Jose Guzman-Wug, Mayte Abrica, Damian Lopez, y Valeria Macias.Katherine Contreras Hernández y profesor encargado de Dimelo, Allan López, realizaron las ediciones del guion. Apoyo en la traducción por Emma Kahn.Esto es una adaptación de el Podcast de USC, Electric Futures. Este episodio fue presentado por Natalie Lopez. Esta serie fue producida ejecutivamente por Allison Agsten, directora del centro de Periodismo y Comunicación Climática de USC Annenberg. Mallory Carra, profesora de USC Annenberg, es nuestra supervisora de producción. Spencer Cline es nuestro productor asociado. Tahjah Fortune es nuestra asistente de producción. El anfitrión original de este proyecto es Charles Zukoski, profesor de Ingeniería Química y Ciencia de Materiales y ex rector de USC. Electric Future se grabó en el Valle Imperial y en el Estudio B de Annenberg Media Center. Victor Figeroa, Sebastian Grubaugh [GRU-BAH], Tom Norris y S-R Meredith proporcionaron supervisión técnica.Nuestra portada es de Kim Ly [LEE]. Toda la música y los efectos de sonido se utilizan con permiso expreso bajo una licencia general ilimitada de Epidemic Sound....

Recorded live in USC’s Wallis Annenberg Hall in April 2026, this special episode focuses on the key issues surrounding data centers, the focus of Season 3. What exactly are data centers? Who benefits from their development? What are the drawbacks? Experts will answer those questions – and yours – alongside host Chip Zukoski, USC’s Robert E. Vivian Professor in Energy Resources and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering.  Featured panelists include:Shaolei Ren, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, RiversideKelly Twomley Sanders, Professor, Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringSean Wilcock, Vice President of Business Development & Services at Imperial Valley Economic Development CorporationYou can follow us on Instagram at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@usc_electricfutures⁠⁠⁠⁠.Additional resources from USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication:The Data Center Next Door, Key Considerations for Communities Navigating Data Center DevelopmentHow to Create a Climate Podcast-----Electric Futures is an original podcast from the University of Southern California, hosted by me, Charles Zukoski, the Vivian Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and the former USC Provost. This series was executive produced by Allison Agsten, the director of USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication.USC Annenberg professor Mallory Carra is our supervising producer. Natalie Lopez and Spencer Cline are our associate producers. Imperial Valley College student Tahjah Fortune is our production assistant. Our live episode was edited and sound designed by Spencer Cline.Technical supervision was provided by Sebastian Grubaugh, Tom Norris, Ray Barkley, Victor Figueroa and S-R Meredith. Video interviews were directed by Makayla Idelburg. Rhysea Argawal, Nadia Lozano Murphy, Anahita Mehra, Avidha Raha, and Lina Rehbein provided live event support.With special thanks to Leslie Berestein Rojas, Edward Lifson, Jim Yoder, and Pawan Ahuja.All music and sound effects are used with express permission under unlimited blanket license authority from Epidemic Sound. 

In our Season 3 finale, we explore what it is about data centers that has been creating animosity across the country. Is it the pushback against what powers artificial intelligence…or is it something else?You can follow us on Instagram at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@usc_electricfutures⁠⁠⁠⁠.Additional resources from USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication:The Data Center Next Door, Key Considerations for Communities Navigating Data Center DevelopmentHow to Create a Climate Podcast-----Electric Futures is an original podcast from the University of Southern California, hosted by me, Charles Zukoski, the Vivian Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and the former USC Provost. This series was executive produced by Allison Agsten, the director of USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication.USC Annenberg professor Mallory Carra is our supervising producer. Natalie Lopez and Spencer Cline are our associate producers. Imperial Valley College student Tahjah Fortune is our production assistant. This episode was directed and story edited by Mallory Carra. It was edited and sound designed by Spencer Cline.Technical supervision was provided by Sebastian Grubaugh, Tom Norris, and S-R Meredith. Video interviews were directed by Makayla Idelburg. With special thanks to USC professors Leslie Berestein Rojas and Edward Lifson.Our cover art is by Kim Ly. All music and sound effects are used with express permission under unlimited blanket license authority from Epidemic Sound.

In this episode, we explore how communities think about jobs when a data center comes knocking. When a data center comes to town, will it bring high paying jobs to a community? Could this be the main benefit of hosting a data center in your community? You can follow us on Instagram at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@usc_electricfutures⁠⁠⁠⁠.Additional resources from USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication:The Data Center Next Door, Key Considerations for Communities Navigating Data Center DevelopmentHow to Create a Climate Podcast-----Electric Futures is an original podcast from the University of Southern California, hosted by me, Charles Zukoski, the Vivian Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and the former USC Provost. This series was executive produced by Allison Agsten, the director of USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication.USC Annenberg professor Mallory Carra is our supervising producer. Natalie Lopez and Spencer Cline are our associate producers. Imperial Valley College student Tahjah Fortune is our production assistant. This episode was directed and story edited by Mallory Carra. It was edited and sound designed by Spencer Cline.Technical supervision was provided by Sebastian Grubaugh, Tom Norris, and S-R Meredith. Video interviews were directed by Makayla Idelburg. With special thanks to USC professors Leslie Berestein Rojas and Edward Lifson.Our cover art is by Kim Ly. All music and sound effects are used with express permission under unlimited blanket license authority from Epidemic Sound.

When a hyperscale data center comes to a place like Imperial Valley, communities have questions and concerns. Billions of dollars of investment — and profit – are at stake. Community members have questions. But rather than excitement, there’s community pushback. Why? We dive into the resistance in Imperial Valley and beyond.You can follow us on Instagram at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@usc_electricfutures⁠⁠⁠⁠.Additional resources from USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication:The Data Center Next Door, Key Considerations for Communities Navigating Data Center DevelopmentHow to Create a Climate Podcast-----Electric Futures is an original podcast from the University of Southern California, hosted by me, Charles Zukoski, the Vivian Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and the former USC Provost. This series was executive produced by Allison Agsten, the director of USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication.USC Annenberg professor Mallory Carra is our supervising producer. Natalie Lopez and Spencer Cline are our associate producers. Imperial Valley College student Tahjah Fortune is our production assistant. This episode was directed and story edited by Mallory Carra. It was edited and sound designed by Spencer Cline.Technical supervision was provided by Sebastian Grubaugh, Tom Norris, and S-R Meredith. Video interviews were directed by Makayla Idelburg. With special thanks to USC professors Leslie Berestein Rojas and Edward Lifson.Our cover art is by Kim Ly. All music and sound effects are used with express permission under unlimited blanket license authority from Epidemic Sound.

In this episode, we look how the proposed data center in the Imperial Valley would use water, then explore similarities and differences with data centers around the nation. How much water is really needed for a data center — and why?You can follow us on Instagram at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@usc_electricfutures⁠⁠⁠⁠.Additional resources from USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication:The Data Center Next Door, Key Considerations for Communities Navigating Data Center DevelopmentHow to Create a Climate Podcast-----Electric Futures is an original podcast from the University of Southern California, hosted by me, Charles Zukoski, the Vivian Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and the former USC Provost. This series was executive produced by Allison Agsten, the director of USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication.USC Annenberg professor Mallory Carra is our supervising producer. Natalie Lopez and Spencer Cline are our associate producers. Imperial Valley College student Tahjah Fortune is our production assistant. This episode was directed by Mallory Carra and Natalie Lopez and story edited by Mallory Carra. It was edited and sound designed by Spencer Cline.Technical supervision was provided by Sebastian Grubaugh, Tom Norris, and S-R Meredith. Video interviews were directed by Makayla Idelburg. With special thanks to USC professors Leslie Berestein Rojas and Edward Lifson.Our cover art is by Kim Ly. All music and sound effects are used with express permission under unlimited blanket license authority from Epidemic Sound. 

We take a deep dive into the AI data center planned for California’s Imperial Valley and talk to the developers themselves about how the project came about. Then, we explore the mathematics of AI and how exactly a data center works.You can follow us on Instagram at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@usc_electricfutures⁠⁠⁠⁠.Additional resources from USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication:The Data Center Next Door, Key Considerations for Communities Navigating Data Center DevelopmentHow to Create a Climate Podcast-----Electric Futures is an original podcast from the University of Southern California, hosted by me, Charles Zukoski, the Vivian Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and the former USC Provost. This series was executive produced by Allison Agsten, the director of USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication.USC Annenberg professor Mallory Carra is our supervising producer. Natalie Lopez and Spencer Cline are our associate producers. Imperial Valley College student Tahjah Fortune is our production assistant. This episode was directed by Spencer Cline and story edited by Mallory Carra. It was edited and sound designed by Spencer Cline.Technical supervision was provided by Sebastian Grubaugh, Tom Norris, and S-R Meredith. Video interviews were directed by Makayla Idelburg. With special thanks to USC professors Leslie Berestein Rojas and Edward Lifson.Our cover art is by Kim Ly. All music and sound effects are used with express permission under unlimited blanket license authority from Epidemic Sound. 

Have you ever wondered what might happen if you crossed an agricultural community with the highest form of human technology?We went to the Valley to find out! In this season of Electric Futures, we describe how the demand for AI is altering the fabric of not only California’s Imperial Valley but of communities across the country. In this first episode, we catch you up on what’s happening in the Valley and discover the most amazing coincidence that sharpens our interest and brings this season closer to home…This is Season 3 of Electric Futures: The Data Center Next Door.You can follow us on Instagram at⁠ ⁠⁠@usc_electricfutures⁠⁠⁠.Additional resources from USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication:The Data Center Next Door, Key Considerations for Communities Navigating Data Center DevelopmentHow to Create a Climate Podcast-----Electric Futures is an original podcast from the University of Southern California, hosted by me, Charles Zukoski, the Vivian Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and the former USC Provost. This series was executive produced by Allison Agsten, the director of USC’s Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication.USC Annenberg professor Mallory Carra is our supervising producer. Natalie Lopez and Spencer Cline are our associate producers. Imperial Valley College student Tahjah Fortune is our production assistant. This episode was directed by Spencer Cline and story edited by Mallory Carra. It was edited and sound designed by Spencer Cline.Technical supervision was provided by Sebastian Grubaugh, Tom Norris, and S-R Meredith. Video interviews were directed by Makayla Idelburg. With special thanks to USC professors Leslie Berestein Rojas and Edward Lifson.Our cover art is by Kim Ly. All music and sound effects are used with express permission under unlimited blanket license authority from Epidemic Sound.