As with most advancements in Science and Technology, AI and Data Centers are being met with resistance. Much of that resistance is a result of biased and/or irresponsible reporting by those that have an agenda! Another major factor is the “Not in my backyard” crowd.
Much of the reporting to date doesn’t explain that when closed loop systems are employed, water usage is not the problem that is advertised (think of your car’s coolant – it circulates through a radiator to become a continuous flow without adding more). Similarly, the electric power needs, in many cases, are self-contained by the site’s own electrical generating systems. Yes, they may use a lot of natural gas, etc., but that is not the catastrophic story being told.
Another advertised story is that AI will eliminate large portions of the workforce. We have heard this fear many times since the Industrial Revolution, Computers, the Internet, and on and on. What we have achieved instead is a change in how we work and do things – and each time, we have ended with more people employed doing jobs no one ever envisioned. To the Doom Sayers, I say, give it time to play out before we condemn it. Buggy Whip manufacturers disappeared, but look at what took its place!
What we should be concerned about are the algorithms used in the process to provide us with AI answers. Algorithms designed to fit someone’s ideology, propaganda, or evil are what need to be prevented. Do some research on what a Large Language Model is and how the algorithms are used develop the answers to your questions.
If we wish to remain the leaders of a “free world” we must continue to advance before our adversaries do, or we will not only lose the leadership, but we may also lose the “free world” as we know it.
Art Nennig Argyle/New Berlin, WI