The Data Center Outrage:Can AI survive without data centers?

Carl Braun Co-Founder and CEO of the Data Center Group. Carl Braun brings a comprehensive background in land development, infrastructure strategy, and commercial real estate brokerage, with more than a decade of experience at Coldwell Banker Commercial Elite. As Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Data Center Group, Carl leads the firm’s mission to identify, qualify, and develop premier data center sites across the United States. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the data center arena, Carl has established himself as a trusted authority in site selection by, entitlement, brokerage, and development. His deep understanding of power and fiber infrastructure, zoning frameworks, and data center user requirements enables him to deliver exceptional results for investors, developers, and end users navigating the complex landscape of digital infrastructure. Through Carl’s leadership, the Data Center Group has successfully procured data center opportunities across multiple regions of Virginia and in ten additional states. His strategic vision and commitment to partnership have positioned the firm for continued regional and national growth, connecting landowners and direct users of all data center types—from edge facilities to hyperscale developments. Carl’s ability to combine technical insight with real estate expertise ensures that each project—from early land qualification to full-scale development—advances efficiently, strategically, and with long-term value creation in mind. His leadership continues to drive the Data Center Group’s reputation as a premier advisor in the rapidly expanding digital infrastructure sector.

Washington Editor of Harper’s Magazine, author, and filmmaker. Andrew Cockburn is Irish-British and was born into a prominent, multi-generational journalistic dynasty known for its left-wing, anti-establishment, and international reporting. He is an award-winning journalist, author, editor, and film producer. Currently, he is the Washington Editor of Harper’s magazine, and the author of many articles and books on national security, including the New York Times Editor’s Choice Rumsfeld and The Threat , which destroyed the myth of Soviet military superiority underpinning the Cold War. He is a regular opinion contributor to the Los Angeles Times and has written for, among others, the New York Times, National Geographic and the London Review of Books. As a producer and writer, Andrew is known for such films as The Peacemaker (1997), American Casino (2009) and Frontline (1983).

Director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program. Tyson Slocum is the director of the Public Citizen’s Energy Program covering the regulation of energy markets, where he leads the organization’s efforts to promote sustainable, affordable energy and works to address the climate crisis. Tyson promotes an equitable energy transition that provides renewable energy and sustainable transportation solutions for working families. Tyson focuses on the regulation of electricity, natural gas, and petroleum markets, frequently testifying before the U.S. Congress. Tyson is an active intervenor on behalf of the public interest at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and serves on two advisory committees to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Energy, and Environmental Markets and Market Risk. Tyson presents his research before Congress, including testifying in 2025 on the issue of AI data center energy demand. Tyson has appeared on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News and Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report,” and has been quoted in publications such as Forbes, CNNMoney.com, The Hill, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Tyson is a member of the faculty at the University of Maryland Honors College, where he teaches energy and climate policy, and was named Teacher Of The Year in 2017. Prior to joining Public Citizen in 2000, Tyson served as an analyst with the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy. Tyson is an expert in issues dealing with regulation and deregulation of energy markets, the impact of mergers and lax regulations over electricity, petroleum and natural gas and federal energy legislation.

Dr. Courtney Radsch, PhD, is a global thought leader and experienced strategist working on AI governance, technology policy, and information ecosystems and was recently named one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics. She currently leads the bicontinental Center for Media & Digital Governance at Open Markets Institute/Open Markets Europe, and is a nonresident fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation in Governance Studies at Brookings. Drawing on her her experiences as a journalist, scholar, diplomat, and human rights advocate she brings a unique perspective to understanding issues like the concentration of power in Big Tech (and now Big AI), the future of journalism, human rights, and democracy. She focuses on issues of information and power, tech policy and AI governance, the political economy of journalism and information ecosystems, competition and antitrust, and freedom expression. She writes and speaks frequently about these issues and has testified before Congress, parliaments and competition authorities around the world. Radsch has served on boards of directors as well as expert and advisory bodies for international organizations, media, and technology companies. She has advised the United Nations, EU, OSCE, OECD, World Economic Forum and provided expertise to technology platforms on policy and product design and impact. She has led advocacy missions and media assessments in more than a dozen countries and trained journalists and human rights activists around the world. Radsch is an accomplished leader and skilled public speaker with a track record of transformative results and objective-driven advocacy, writing and policy work. She has led multicultural, transcontinental and interdisciplinary teams and is committed to mentorship and aligning individual goals with organizational objectives. An architect of impactful advocacy campaigns and pioneering research initiatives, she also has a track record of impactful scholarship and popular analysis and commentary published in peer-reviewed journals and leading media outlets throughout the world. Her expertise on UN mechanisms and international human rights laws and norms is based on both empirical research and practical application. She is the author of Cyberactivism and Citizen Journalism in Egypt: Digital Dissidence & Political Change (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2016) based on her pioneering doctoral research, and editor of UNESCO’s flagship publication World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development.