Exploring the Practical Realities of AI: The Role of Shoe-Leather Reporting in Tech Journalism
J.ournalists often use the term “shoe-leather reporting” to refer to the on-the-ground work required to cover certain stories. As the tech industry has become more interested in screen-based realities and the physical world of colossal AI data centers and social media damage, comfortable shoes have become more essential to a tech journalist’s job.
Investigating the Realities of AI Data Centers
Earlier this week, we published the latest Guardian investigation into the data centers and energy infrastructure that supports AI – revealing that an £8.2bn AI complex in rural Scotland has misrepresented its plans to be powered entirely by on-site renewable energy. “Our reporting shows that it’s not enough to wave a magic wand and make a data center appear,” says Aisha Down, who covers AI for the Guardian and traveled to Scotland to investigate this story. “There are a lot of huge physical constraints and reality checks. It’s these physical, tangible things that make or break the AI boom.”
Questioning the Feasibility of Tech Infrastructure
Much of this reporting is about questioning the reality of all these tangible things — whether or not the tech giants’ infrastructure proposals are realistic, whether the data centers themselves are feasible, whether the energy and water commitments are real, whether the promised job creation is real, and, most importantly, what it means for real, real people.
The data center investigation released this week illustrates the growing intersection of technology reporting with reporting on energy and the environment. This involved Aisha traveling across Lanarkshire to sites where data centers and energy infrastructure could be built, speaking to local residents, examining public records, and obtaining internal documents. It follows a similar investigation earlier this year, in which she checked a four-acre site in suburban London that is set to house a brilliant AI supercomputer complex – only to discover it was still being used as a scaffolding park.
The Practicality of Shoe-Leather Reporting
And, yes, both stories involved a lot of “leather shoe reporting” — even though, technically, Aisha wasn’t wearing leather-soled shoes: “I wear very lightweight flats with rubber soles and a band that makes them ideal for walking. In Lanarkshire, I wore trainers.”
Dan Milmo, our global technology editor (who usually wears chukka boots with rubber soles), published an article on the number of large data center projects around the world that are being questioned or canceled. “I remember going to a site in Wales that was about as well organized and funded as it could be, and I always had a sense of how difficult it was for tech companies to deliver these big infrastructure projects,” he says.
Physical Reality Checks in AI Reporting
Physical reality checks on AI include the capacity of local power grids, the availability of chips and other components, and the impact on the carbon footprint and sustainability goals of technology companies. “The AI boom has radically changed the physical presence of all these tech companies in the physical world,” says Blake Montgomery, the Guardian’s US editor (wearing a pair of leather-soled shoes). “These AI data centers are some of the most massive and complex structures humanity has created, so we are now also reporting on the physical infrastructure and real places that exist, not just digital landscapes, in the more social media-driven age of technology reporting.”
The scale of these developments is only one aspect of the physical reality facing specialist journalists today. Another is sensory assault. Last month, Aisha traveled to Slough, home to Europe’s largest data center park, to experience the sweltering heat island effect. Some research suggests that temperatures in the immediate vicinity of data centers can increase by an average of 2°C, and by as much as 9°C. “It was very hot and there was this audible groan. If you slept or worked near it every day, I think it would wear you out.”
Challenges of Reporting on Data Centers
Robert Booth, our UK technology editor, faced even higher volumes when reporting on the gigantic data centers of Santa Clara, Silicon Valley. “They call these data centers screamers because they’re louder than a plane taking off,” he says. “I had to protect my ears with earmuffs and, even with that, my ears were still ringing.”
He says shoe-leather reporting is essential to covering the AI revolution. “It’s only really possible by going out and reporting on the pace of change, the tensions it’s creating, the impact it’s having on people. I’ve also been going to kids’ clubs to see how kids are struggling with AI. It’s a very important part of the job to make sure we’re reporting from somewhere rather than from the digital ether,” he says. “But no, I didn’t need to modify my shoes.”
Blake remembers sending tech journalist Dara Kerr to the Nevada desert, home to one of the world’s largest data center complexes, for this visually stunning article about their impact. “She was chased away by security,” he said. (It is unclear what shoes Dara was wearing at the time.)
Local Tensions and the Impact of Data Centers
Local tensions and backlash against data centers are a huge part of today’s technology story. Last week we published an interview with Erin Brockovich about her work on behalf of the many communities affected by the impact of data centers on energy and water resources.
“The data center protests are becoming a sort of manifestation of voter and public concern about technology and AI in general,” says Dan. “It’s very difficult for people to protest technology or to concretely express their feelings about things that are transmitted over the Internet. But if it’s difficult to protest ChatGPT and what it means for your undergraduate students’ job prospects, it’s easier to protest the infrastructure that facilitates its existence and operation.”
Dan notes that these real-world hot spots are part of a larger shift in the technology landscape. “When I started covering this sector in 2021, it was clear that these giant companies had so much money that they were just going to get bigger and more powerful and the real impacts were just going to grow. And inevitably, my reporting is increasingly about these impacts and the consequences of governments allowing these companies to grow without regulation.”
The Human Impact of Technological Advancements
It highlights key turning points such as the investigation into the death of Molly Russell, a London teenager who died of self-harm in 2017 after overwhelming her with the darker side of life online. Journalists in the United States have also attended court hearings on the physical and emotional harm caused by social media, and more cases are looming over the addictive nature of these platforms. Meanwhile, the UK announced a ban on social media for under-16s, following the ban introduced in Australia last year.
Last month, Dan traveled to west London to interview children and teenagers about the UK’s social media ban for under-16s. “I was struck by the fact that I hadn’t heard these voices enough and, personally, I hadn’t written enough about what these kids were thinking and how important their perspectives were,” he says.
We’re a long way from the early days of social media, when many tech journalists were tasked with scrolling through their screens and downloading apps to spot the latest social media trends or internet buzz.
“Perhaps because unreality has become so pervasive, reality has become much more interesting to people,” suggests Aisha. “Did a child get hurt because of their social media feed? What’s the temperature like next to a data center? People are now more interested in these kinds of stories.”
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