How Tech Reporters Traded Their Screens for Sneakers

Tech reporters used to spend most of their time staring at screens, downloading apps, and scrolling through social media. Now, many of them are lacing up their walking shoes and heading outdoors. Journalists at The Guardian say covering the artificial intelligence (AI) boom means visiting real physical places to understand how giant AI data centers are changing life for regular people. From empty fields in Scotland to roasting-hot neighborhoods in England, the stories are happening in the real world.

Data centers are huge buildings filled with thousands of computers that store data and run AI programs. Tech companies are building them all over the world, and they need enormous amounts of electricity and water to operate. Guardian reporter Aisha Down traveled to rural Scotland to investigate a planned AI complex worth billions of dollars. She found that the company behind it had misled the public about plans to power it fully with renewable energy.

Aisha also checked out a site on the edge of London that was supposed to become a shiny AI supercomputer complex. When she arrived, the land was still being used as a yard full of scaffolding poles. Stories like these show that big tech announcements don't always match reality. 'Our reporting is showing that you can't simply wave a magic wand and have a datacentre appear,' she said.

Reporters don't just look at buildings — they also feel and hear the effects of data centers. Aisha visited Slough, home to the largest data center park in Europe, and described a wall of heat and a high-pitched whining sound coming from the buildings. Scientists have found that temperatures near large data centers can rise by an average of 2°C, and sometimes by as much as 9°C. She said that if you lived or worked nearby every day, it would wear you down.

Guardian editor Robert Booth traveled to Silicon Valley in California to report on massive data centers there. Workers call those buildings 'screamers' because they are louder than a jet airplane taking off. Booth had to wear ear protection, but his ears were still ringing when he left. He said that getting out and reporting in person is the only real way to understand how fast things are changing.

Data centers also cause problems for the communities around them. They use huge amounts of electricity, which can strain local power grids and drive up energy bills. They also consume large quantities of water to keep their computers cool. Well-known activist Erin Brockovich has been helping communities that are dealing with these serious problems.

Guardian editor Dan Milmo says protests against data centers are a sign of bigger public frustration. People are frustrated with how fast technology is growing, but it can be hard to protest against something invisible, like an AI chatbot. It is much easier to show up and demonstrate against a massive building going up in your neighborhood. Dan noted that protests are becoming a way for people to express their feelings about technology in general.

Tech journalism is also covering how social media affects young people's health. Dan went to west London to talk with kids and teenagers about a UK law banning children under 16 from using social media. Courts in the US have been hearing cases about whether social media platforms are addictive or harmful. One key story involves Molly Russell, a London teenager who died in 2017 after being exposed to harmful content online.

All of these reporters agree that leaving the office — and the screen — is now essential for covering the tech industry. The shift from digital-only stories to on-the-ground reporting reflects how much the tech world itself has changed. As Aisha put it, 'Perhaps because unreality has become so pervasive, reality has become a lot more interesting to people.' Whether it is scorching heat, deafening noise, or a field full of scaffolding, today's tech reporters are finding the real story by showing up in person.