pseudonimous-pr

It's standing right in front of our faces but we're making an effort not to see it. For to notice it is to give it the recognition that it seeks.

I asked a chatbot to compare the energy expended in mining Bitcoin and on generative AI thus far, and it came up with 900 TWh for Bitcoin and 450 TWh for AI. Granted it might be biased in favor of AI.

I agree with all your points. As with the rest of the anti-AI movement, I think the key is in the likely consequences. Slowing down the buildout and regulating AI in the West won't affect it elsewhere. At best it's tilting at windmills, so I think it's reasonable to suspect the worst.

Here's an interesting coincidence. During 2010-2023, data centers growth was all in crypto farms, a truly ridiculous massive waste of energy. However, that growth played against the West. It diverted capital into ruinous tulip bubbles. It created an alternative to the Western-led financial system and trivialized bypassing sanctions. Yet it got fairly little mainstream coverage.

Now there's a tech race. Data centers are a necessary evil for the West to win it. And suddenly they're getting massive negative coverage. Just today I saw articles about both the far left and far right prioritizing the issue.