"“These are human beings,” Midha said on Alex Heath's “Access” podcast on Thursday. “I can tell you communities around America are not happy.” Data centers have become a major issue for many Americans. While tech companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google need data centers to power their AI products, many everyday Americans say the benefits don't outweigh the drawbacks."
"“My view is that if it's not legible to the public that these data centers and the infrastructure required to unblock this kind of frontier technology progress are serving their benefit, then it's not going to work out,” Midha said. He said the discourse around data centers has split into two camps: those who want to accelerate construction and those who want to halt AI development altogether."
"A new report this week from the Pew Research Center said 43% of survey respondents believed data center energy use had driven up their bills. Environmental damage, increased noise, and an overall drop in quality of life are also points of contention. Some legislators have also taken aim at data centers, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who proposed a federal moratorium on new data center development."
"Try empathy. Anjney Midha, a Stanford University professor teaching a viral AI infrastructure course, said that part of the reason local communities are organizing to prevent new data centers is the lack of transparency around their impacts and intended use. He said these communities will cause major problems if tech leaders don't come across as “empathetic” and listen to them."
Local communities organize against new data centers when they lack clear information about impacts and intended use. Rising utility costs are a major concern, with many people reporting higher bills tied to data center energy use. Environmental damage, increased noise, and reduced quality of life also drive opposition. Some lawmakers have proposed moratoriums on new data center development at federal and state levels. Public acceptance depends on whether benefits and infrastructure purposes are understandable to everyday people. The debate often splits between accelerating construction and halting AI development, but neither extreme resolves community concerns. Empathetic engagement and listening are presented as practical steps for AI leaders seeking support.
Read at www.businessinsider.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]