5 explainers
Artificial Intelligence Explainers
Clear explainers on AI agents, AI search, data centers, chips, and how machine learning is reshaping work and infrastructure.
Start here for practical AI context without hype: what is changing, what is still uncertain, and which second-order effects matter.
Use this page as a reading path: start with the core explainer, then follow the related guides to understand the key terms, practical tradeoffs, and open questions.
Questions this guide answers
- What can AI agents reliably do?
- How does AI search affect publishers?
- Why do AI data centers need so much power?
Tools for these guides
- Subscription Cost Calculator — Turn weekly, monthly, and annual subscriptions into one budget. Compare what you keep and cancel.
- Sunk Cost Decision Tool — Compare future costs and benefits when deciding whether to continue or switch.
- Electricity Cost Calculator — Compare appliance examples or custom usage in watts, kWh, and money. Include quantities plus daily or weekly operating time.

How AI Agents Work: Useful Tasks, Limits, and Risks
What can AI agents actually do? A practical guide to the workflows they can handle, where they fail, and when humans should stay involved.

AI Data Center Energy: Electricity, Water, and the Grid
How much energy do AI data centers use? A plain-language guide to electricity demand, water use, grid constraints, chips, and land.

How AI Search Changes Website Traffic and SEO
How AI search affects websites, publishers, and SEO—and what makes a page useful enough to be understood, trusted, and cited.

Why AI Chips Are Geopolitical
Why are advanced AI chips strategic? Understand semiconductors, lithography, packaging, memory, export controls, and global supply chains.

Why Does Every App Have AI? What AI Features Actually Do
Why are AI features appearing in every app? Learn which are genuinely useful, which are marketing, and what companies are trying to automate.