AI’s Hidden Energy Use: Why America’s Grid Needs Oil and Gas More Than Ever

Google’s recent disclosure on artificial intelligence energy use should be a wake-up call for policymakers and industry leaders. For the first time, a major tech company has revealed how much energy its AI systems consume. A single text prompt to Google’s Gemini app requires 0.24 watt-hours of electricity, the equivalent of running a household microwave for one second. Multiply that by billions of queries, and suddenly we are talking about power demand on the scale of entire power plants. For context, ChatGPT has reported sending over 2.5 billion queries a day in 2025.

While Silicon Valley touts AI as a tool for efficiency and progress, the truth is that this technology will accelerate America’s already growing energy needs. The California and national grids are not prepared for this rapid shift. Data centers require not just massive electricity inputs, but also significant water resources for cooling. As more advanced AI models handling images, video, or complex reasoning come online, their energy appetite will only increase.

Policymakers and regulators can’t ignore our oil and gas industry. America’s energy future will be shaped by consumer habits and how new technologies like AI reshape demand. Despite ambitious renewable energy goals, intermittent sources like solar and wind cannot shoulder the entire load.

When AI pushes demand higher during peak hours, reliable baseload power is non-negotiable. Natural gas, oil, and other reliable sources should remain the backbone of grid stability.

For the oil and gas sector, this is an opportunity to reframe the debate. AI is not just about fueling our vehicles. It is about the future of work and automation. And without stable and affordable domestic energy, the promises of AI will collapse under the weight of an overstressed grid. At the core of California’s oil and gas industry is the understanding that innovation without energy security is an empty promise.

America’s AI revolution requires reliable power, and that includes California’s oil and gas industry, whether politicians admit it or not. It is time to make that case loudly and unapologetically.