Big Tech Will Not Save Us From the Climate Crisis

[Kim Locke]

The article is located here:

https://www.techpolicy.press/big-tech-will-not-save-us-from-the-climate-crisis/

[Jenna Kedy 0]

@Kim-Locke As someone who’s generally hopeful about responsible AI use, I think articles like this are SUCH an important reality check. People talk about AI like it exists in a magic little cloud but behind every chatbot and data model are giant data centres with huge water use and I think that’s the tension people are starting to feel “Can AI help society while also creating environmental strain at the same time?” Probably yes. Both can be true. What really resonates with me is the community piece. People want innovation, but they also want transparency! As someone involved in advocacy, I think the biggest takeaway is that tech companies can’t just say “trust us, we’ll fix it later.” Communities want proof NOW especially when health, water, air quality, and climate are involved.

[Kim Locke]

@Jenna-Kedy-0 It makes me happy when there's pushback from local communities about having data centers built in their respective areas, and they manage to not have them built at all!

Data centers being built in areas that are experiencing drought just doesn't feel ethical or even right to me, and then all the problems with using a lot of water, the effects on the environment, effects on humans, and wildlife.

"BUT JOBS!" They only really hire very few people to work in these data centers, and they're only there to troubleshoot problems. Most of daily admin things can be done remotely or are automated already.