Is AI the End of Cheap Tech?
The Atlantic explores how the rapid expansion of generative AI is driving up the cost of consumer electronics due to a global memory chip shortage. Experts suggest that the high demand for AI-capable hardware is ending the era of inexpensive consumer tech.
Why it matters
This shift indicates that the resource-intensive nature of AI development is beginning to have tangible economic consequences for everyday consumers.
How the AI-driven memory crisis affects us all
Illustration by Renee Klahr / The Atlantic July 24, 2026, 1 PM ET Share Save Listen − 1.0 x + Seek 0:00 38:34 Subscribe here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts
Electronics are getting more expensive—and the culprit has a lot to do with generative AI. Amid all the talk of AI taking over people’s jobs, automating people’s workflows, and doing people’s homework, we’re learning that actually scaling this technology is a lot harder, and more expensive, than it seems. On this week’s episode, the host of Galaxy Brain , Charlie Warzel, talks with his Atlantic colleagues Hana Kiros and Alex Reisner about why AI is such an engineering disaster, and how this memory shortage is affecting everything from MRI machines to smart fridges to kids’ access to technology in schools.
The following is a transcript of the episode:
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