Magical, autonomous, all-powerful: Artificial intelligence fuels our dreams and nightmares. While tech companies promise us a better future, AI is already causing serious harm.
Huge data centers and server farms are required for AI programs to function. These are paving over landscapes and consuming immense amounts of water and electricity — mostly from fossil fuels, and thus dirty energy sources.
Millions of low-wage workers worldwide are busy feeding data to, and training, the algorithms for AI programs — often at the expense of their mental and emotional health. These workers, many of them young and living in the Global South, are exposed to all manner of harmful content to train AI models to detect such material.
That implies there is a light side. I’ve honestly haven’t seen any benefit
Any time people say “this company runs their data center on clean energy” I’m gonna ask them if their data is clean. Disgusting.
Also it is stealing “clean” energy from something that would actually be useful. The point is that it is using energy at all, when it shouldn’t even be existing. It is extra energy on top of the energy we already use, and a lot of extra energy.
It is the exact same apology cryptobros used for their energy waste mining crypto for nothing but sheer greed.
Very, very good point.
AI datacentres promise of making everyone’s lives better. Everyone is self-defined as the billionaire class. Everyone else is screwed.
At least they mention TESCREAL. 👍
