AI's business model is challenged by a fundamental disconnect. The immense energy required to run AI systems makes them expensive, yet the vast majority of the global population lives in "energy poverty," unable to afford the electricity needed to use these services, let alone make them profitable.
The period of creating simple, exponentially profitable software like Excel is finished. The next frontier, dominated by AI, is analogous to "big science" like particle physics or space exploration—requiring immense energy and capital, fundamentally changing software economics and expectations for returns.
The primary obstacle to unlocking AI's potential is not computational power but political control over energy. The argument is that governments restrict access to abundant energy sources, which stifles the global wealth creation necessary for people to afford and power advanced AI systems.