Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Claims AI Will Cure Cancer, Downplays Energy Cost Concerns

Daily Technology

·

12/12/2025

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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently appeared on Fox News to praise artificial intelligence and fossil fuels and to reject claims that data centers push energy prices upward. He called AI a “miracle” that will “cure cancer,” end dull repetitive work plus match the historic shifts brought by software and by nineteenth century railroads.

Key Points

Doug Burgum says AI will “cure cancer” but also remove drudgery.
He calls reports that data centers raise power bills “100 % false.”
He warns that the United States faces an “AI arms race” with China and must build more data centers.
He attacks clean power as the “green new scam.”
Critics note that he offers no clear definition of AI, names no specific cancers that AI would cure as well as highlight his long standing links to the oil industry.

AI as Cure-All and Rejection of Energy Worries

On “Fox & Friends” Burgum answered claims that data centers lift electricity prices. He rejected those reports as completely false or pointed to Hawaii besides Maine, where power is expensive yet few data centers exist. He said data centers let humanity turn electricity into intelligence for the first time, called the process “the miracle of AI,” and added that firms will not place AI factories where power costs are high.

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He framed AI leadership as vital in a contest with China also told viewers, “We need to stay ahead of China.” He labeled renewable energy the “green new scam” and, without proof, said it harms the environment. The host presented Burgum's remarks as advice to Arizona voters who will decide on a proposed data center - vote yes to help the United States beat China in AI.

Doubts and Context

Burgum founded Great Plains Software and later sold it to Microsoft for 1.1 billion dollars - yet his sweeping AI statements have prompted pushback. Observers note that he never spelled out which technologies count as AI or which cancer types AI would eradicate. Medical experts view a single cure for all cancers as highly unlikely.

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His record as North Dakota governor included close ties to oil companies next to at the Interior Department he now urges expanded oil output. Critics argue that his broad hopeful claims about AI serve large technology firms yet overlook hard questions about energy prices, the limits of AI and the intricate nature of cancer therapy.

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