Ogunlowo urges responsible AI infrastructure development at UNLEASH 2026
Ayo Ogunlowo, climate and systems strategist and founder of Atunlo, led a Design Sprint session at the Johns Hopkins Carey Global Business Conference UNLEASH 2026, where he challenged participants to
Ayo Ogunlowo, climate and systems strategist and founder of Atunlo, led a Design Sprint session at the Johns Hopkins Carey Global Business Conference UNLEASH 2026, where he challenged participants to consider the real-world impact of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The conference, themed “Building For What’s Next,” brought together entrepreneurs, corporate executives, policymakers, students, and professionals from across business, technology, and policy to discuss leadership, sustainability, and innovation.
During the session, Ogunlowo focused on the environmental and community implications of the rapid expansion of AI systems and infrastructure.
Opening the discussion, he asked participants to reflect on their personal use of AI before highlighting the physical demands behind digital technologies.
“AI feels digital, but its footprint is physical,” Ogunlowo said. “Behind every model is energy. Behind every data centre is land. Behind scale is water. And behind every major technology shift are communities affected by decisions made far away from them.”
Participants worked through a case study based in Northern Virginia, regarded as the world’s largest data centre market, accounting for about 13 per cent of reported global capacity. The exercise examined how the growth of AI infrastructure is placing increasing pressure on land, electricity, and water resources.
The hands-on design sprint required teams to develop and test solutions while balancing technological expansion with community concerns, including tensions between infrastructure operators and local stakeholders.
Drawing from his experience working on climate and infrastructure systems across Africa, Ogunlowo said such challenges are already realities in many developing regions.
“I come from Africa, where infrastructure is never abstract. Water is real. Power is real. Community impact is real,” he said. “You cannot build sustainable systems without local understanding, local trust, and local participation.”
Throughout the session, Ogunlowo engaged participants in reviewing proposals, questioning assumptions, and encouraging solutions rooted in local realities rather than theoretical models.
“This is not anti-AI. AI will change the world. But AI is not without cost, and responsible leadership means building with open eyes,” he added.
He concluded the session by urging participants, many of whom are expected to become future business and technology leaders, to think critically about their role in shaping AI-related decisions.
“Some of you will sit in rooms where those decisions are made. What will you say?” he asked.
The session reflected a broader message from the conference that as artificial intelligence continues to advance, leadership will increasingly be judged not only by innovation, but also by accountability to the communities and resources supporting that growth.
