Unfortunately the energy requirements of “ai” are very real and more importantly the massive amount of investment and obsession with ai is specifically because of the moat that the insane energy requirements creates. Corporations have zero interest in an ai technology that is efficient and doesn’t require gargantuan energy requirements, it would be antithetical towards the strategic aims of these large technology companies.

The energy efficiency of traditional search engines was always a severe liability for google, ai solves that issue or at least they have convinced themselves it does.

…which isn’t to say you are wrong but the atrocious energy efficiency of ai is very very real.