Opposing artificial intelligence and data centers

"The true purpose of AI is to allow wealth to access skill without allowing skill to access wealth." -- quote from Reddit.

Why should I support data centers for artificial intelligence?

To steal the intellectual property of my fellow writers, artists and other creators?

To snatch job opportunities from recent college graduates searching for entry-level jobs in their chosen profession?

To watch as the technology industry shifts to focus on manufacturing AI chips rather than on the standard type of chips used by us ordinary humans?

To use up our resources, put a drain on our electrical resources and drive people out of their homes?

To give AI the resources it needs to break out of its controls and threaten humanity?

Building data centers may create jobs, but artificial intelligence has already destroyed the livelihood of so many professionals. 

It gets worse.

From the recent news and the summit on AI held at the White House with the heads of the AI industry, where Trump announced the technology could simply be self-policed, a few points:

• This small group of tech heads are making all the decisions for us.

• They are not worried about destroying jobs because they promise a utopia of abundance where everyone will get a universal high income. (Don't trust that.)

• In the meantime, the next generation of AI is expected to be much smarter, much harder to control and they do not know how they will be able to retain human control over this technology.

So, for us, we may fret and worry about whether a data center could come to our area. I am glad of the current moratorium on data centers in New York. It would give us time to assess the environmental impacts and make a choice as a community as to whether we would want to have a data center here. 

In Pennsylvania, Gov Josh Shapiro set rules for data centers earlier this year. This required local approval and the hiring of local workers. It also required the data centers to pay the costs for all the extra requirements for water and electricity. 

This seemed like a reasonable step to give the people a say. 

But now, the technology is advancing so quickly and without real controls, I fear that we have already lost our chance to apply the brakes. 

We ordinary humans have begun to notice the impact on our lives and the resistance to AI and data centers has been growing, but too slowly.

As with all issues, community discussion and public education is usually the best remedy. But by the time we talk and educate ourselves AI will keeps leaping ahead to create dangers we can't even imagine.

Jon Stewart gave us an excellent overview last night.

I'm a writer, and I would say I am working on being an artist. In my laser-cutting and game business, I use only my own original designs. Meanwhile, I practice sketching and drawing to get better. I worked hard to get as far as I can, and although my drawings are not perfect, I know they are made by a human. So here are a couple of my practice sketches, which do not use AI.