From the soaring costs of AI’s power demands to a landmark surgical breakthrough and a heated debate over synthetic stardom, this week captures the tension between progress and its price. Energy grids strain, patients gain, and Hollywood confronts a future where its newest talent might not be human at all.

In this edition:

⚡ Power Surge: How AI Data Centers Are Blowing Up Your Electric Bill

💉 Laser Leap: UK Hospitals Fire Up First Catheter Procedure

🎬 Tilly Norwood: Hollywood’s Most Artificial Star

Power Surge: How AI Data Centers Are Blowing Up Your Electric Bill

As artificial intelligence continues to expand, the infrastructure powering it is driving a sharp increase in energy costs for consumers. According to a recent Bloomberg News report, the massive electricity demands of AI data centers are significantly raising wholesale power prices –  especially in areas near these facilities.

The rise in AI technology has fueled a boom in data center construction across the U.S., and these centers require vast amounts of energy to operate. This demand is putting strain on local power grids and contributing to already-rising household costs for essentials like food and housing. Bloomberg’s analysis found that in some regions, wholesale electricity prices have surged by as much as 267% for a single month compared to five years ago. These price hikes are hitting consumers hardest in communities located near heavy data center activity.

The issue is sparking concern among utility companies and local governments, who are now grappling with how to fairly allocate the soaring energy costs. Economic and political tensions are mounting as officials debate whether tech companies or local residents should bear the financial burden. As AI becomes further integrated into everyday life, the energy consequences are becoming more difficult to ignore. Communities near data center hubs may continue to see disproportionate impacts – unless policies are enacted to regulate power use and costs more equitably.

With utility bills climbing and public scrutiny growing, the true cost of AI’s rapid growth may soon be measured not just in innovation, but in kilowatts.

🔴 Environmental & Planning Risk

Data centre developments often face the highest legal exposure when they fail to comply with environmental impact assessment rules or land‑use restrictions. For instance, in the UK a 90 MW hyperscale centre in Buckinghamshire has been challenged in court because campaigners argue the government overrode local objections without requiring a full EIA and ignored vital issues like power, water usage, and climate effects. If permits are granted in green belt zones or without adequate environmental review, courts may overturn them or impose injunctions, delaying or halting projects altogether.

🟡 Utility Regulation & Cost‑Shifting Risk

Although serious, the risk of regulatory pushback on cost allocation is somewhat more manageable than environmental litigation. Utilities may attempt to shift grid upgrade costs onto residential or small commercial customers, or recover investments via tariffs that unfairly burden ratepayers. Such practices are vulnerable to challenge under utility regulation and fairness rules. In the UK, connection policies and distribution pricing may be reformed to impose stricter obligations on large users like data centres. Regulators may require that data centres bear the full cost of necessary infrastructure rather than allowing cross‑subsidies from other customer classes.

🟢 Contractual & Liability Risk

This is a lower‑level, yet nontrivial, risk primarily affecting relationships between operators, utilities and lessees. Most of these risks can be mitigated via robust contracts. Operators must define liability for outages, force majeure events, performance shortfalls, and indemnities (e.g. in case of grid failure). Also, backup generation or on‑site energy systems must satisfy permitting conditions, emissions standards, and regulatory approval. While exposure exists, careful contractual drafting and due diligence typically control the downside.

Laser Leap: UK Hospitals Fire Up First Catheter Procedure

In a medical first, the UK’s National Health Service has confirmed that the new Auryon System laser catheter was used this summer to treat a patient with peripheral vascular disease (PVD)  –  also called peripheral artery disease (PAD)  –  at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. The University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said the device will enable more effective removal of plaque from leg arteries, particularly in lesions that were resistant to angioplasty or stenting.

Consultant Paul Jenkins, an interventional radiologist, explained that until now, available treatments were limited to stents and balloon angioplasty. The new “laser atherectomy” approach allows targeted removal of fatty deposits, improving blood flow while reducing the risk of clot dislodgment. The treatment took place on 2 July 2025, making this the first recorded UK case.

Vascular surgeon Dev Mittapalli stressed the potential life‑saving benefit: in severe cases, untreated PVD can lead to ulcers, gangrene, or even amputation. He also noted that lifestyle factors –  smoking, uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, poor cholesterol management –  often underlie arterial damage.

The Auryon System already carries CE Mark approval for use in Europe, meaning it meets regulatory safety and efficacy thresholds. However, its deployment within the NHS marks a crucial test case. Early feedback has been positive: patients and clinicians report noticeable symptom relief almost immediately post‑procedure.

As Plymouth leads the way, other UK trusts will closely watch outcomes. If early success holds, the Auryon technology could become a new standard in treatment of complex vascular cases –  reducing suffering and possibly sparing limbs.

🔴 Regulatory & Compliance Risk

The Auryon System, as a medical device, must comply with UK regulations under the UK Medical Device Regulations 2002 (UK MDR 2002). This includes obtaining the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark, registering with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and ensuring post-market surveillance. Failure to meet these requirements can lead to enforcement actions, including product recalls or suspension from the market.

🟡 Clinical & Liability Exposure

Introducing a new medical device carries inherent clinical risks. If a patient experiences adverse effects, there may be grounds for product liability or medical negligence claims. Proving causation can be complex, especially with novel devices, potentially leading to legal and financial consequences for healthcare providers.

🟢 Informed Consent & Data Protection

Patients must provide informed consent before undergoing treatment with the Auryon System. This involves ensuring they understand the benefits, risks, and alternatives. Additionally, handling patient data must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), requiring lawful, transparent, and secure processing of personal health information.

Tilly Norwood: Hollywood’s Most Artificial Star

Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated character created by Dutch artist Eline Van der Velden and her company Particle6, has ignited a firestorm in Hollywood. Presented as a young, aspiring actress, Norwood boasts a social media presence complete with headshots, faux filming tests, and even a spoof advertisement for BBC’s The Graham Norton Show. She was introduced at the Zurich Film Festival with a 20-second parody video, leading to discussions about AI’s role in the entertainment industry.

However, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has strongly condemned Norwood’s creation. The union asserts that Norwood is not an actor but a character generated by a computer program trained on the work of professional performers without permission or compensation. They argue that such AI creations lack the life experience and emotion that human actors bring to their roles and warn that using synthetic performers could jeopardize performers’ livelihoods and devalue human artistry.

In response, Van der Velden defended Norwood as a piece of creative art, likening her to animation or CGI. She emphasised that Norwood is not a replacement for human actors but rather a new tool for storytelling. Despite her defense, major talent agency WME has stated they will not represent Norwood, emphasizing their commitment to human talent.

The controversy underscores the ongoing debate over AI’s role in creative industries and the balance between technological innovation and protecting human artistry.

🔴 Intellectual Property and Performers’ Rights Issues

Tilly Norwood’s creation involves using AI trained on the work of real actors without their permission or payment. This could infringe copyright and performers’ rights, which protect actors’ creative efforts and likenesses. Such unauthorised use may lead to legal claims, including demands for damages or court orders to stop the use of AI-generated characters. The law is still catching up with AI technology, which makes this a tricky and uncertain area legally.

🟡 Labour and Union Law Concerns

Using AI characters as substitutes for human actors without agreement from actors’ unions like SAG-AFTRA may breach existing labour laws and collective agreements. These rules are designed to protect actors’ jobs, pay, and working conditions. Ignoring them risks industrial disputes, legal action, and regulatory penalties. It also raises ethical questions about replacing real talent with machines, which could lead to stricter future regulation.

🟢 Transparency and Consumer Protection

Presenting an AI-generated character as a real actor without clear disclosure may mislead the public, breaching consumer protection laws. To avoid this, it is important to be upfront that the character is computer-generated. Clear communication helps build trust, reduces legal risk, and encourages acceptance of AI as a new tool for creative storytelling rather than a replacement for humans.