Are the resources required for AI fundamentally different? Or do they exist on a continuum?

When you build something physical, there are phyiscal resources required. When you build an app, there are digital resources used. In both cases, you need a team to build the thing. And you need energy, etc. for both.

The raw materials vary, between something physical and something digital. So are they differences in kind or differences in degree? If you consider them different in kind, then there are differences around how they are extracted and managed. But if they are differences in degree, what does it mean for the resource providers? Is free email good enough?