AI Is Building Power Plants. We’re Building a Network | YWR Podcast ep25

AI is getting bigger.

Bigger models. Bigger data centers. Bigger energy demands.

But what if that’s the wrong direction?

In this episode, Dustin Hedrick and Brandon Billings challenge the trillion-parameter arms race and explore a different future — one built on Small Language Models (SLMs), decentralized storage, distributed compute, and blockchain coordination.

They break down:

• The hidden environmental cost of hyperscale AI• Why specialized smaller models can outperform massive generalists• How edge-native AI reduces energy, latency, and centralization• Why the next phase of AI may be horizontal — not vertical

Instead of industrial-scale intelligence factories controlled by a handful of corporations, what if millions of participants powered a global AI mesh?

The future of AI isn’t about building bigger buildings.

It’s about building smarter networks.

Build smaller.Build larger.