The biggest risk with AI is that we don't go big enough

The subject line is a direct quote from Peter Thiel in Crusoe’s funding announcement from last December, where he argues for greater ambition in light of the opportunity AI presents.

There’s a lot of truth in what Thiel stated. AI is the rare technological vector showing rapid progress with the potential to reshape everyday life. There are many accounts of how this might play out—here’s one from Dario Amodei, cofounder and CEO of Anthropic (makers of Claude). Whether any single prediction proves exact matters less than the scale of what’s possible. The upside is unprecedented—likely larger than anything seen in our lifetimes.

The AI buildout also echoes a deeper story about energy. After the 1973–74 oil shock, rich countries pivoted from “consume more” to conservation and efficiency, and economic growth slowed from post-war highs. Whatever the precise path, AI will drive much higher electricity demand and accelerate better generation technologies. It has put energy back at the center of prosperity. Historically, rising per-capita energy use correlates with rising productivity and living standards.

Energy abundance has always tracked civilizational progress. Having the slack to be “wasteful” with energy often unlocks new possibilities we can’t yet imagine. It enabled the invention of AI in the first place.

Whether because of AI’s singular potential or the energy expansion it compels, the biggest risk is that we don’t aim big enough.