Idaho Needs to Reconsider AI Data Centers

I’m not comfortable with AI (artificial intelligence).  It’s going to rob us of liberty and humanity.  But our economic and military rivals are diving in headfirst.  The argument is that if China gets there first, the situation will only worsen.  Idaho is considered a good location for developers, with open space and cheap energy.  Some of it is nuclear from Idaho National Laboratory.  I’m not as worried about electricity demand as I am about water.  We’re in the midst of a drought, and we don’t know when it ends.  I guess for national security reasons, we’re being asked to abandon the region and leave it to the machines.

Opposition from All Directions

Opposition unites a diverse coalition, from the religious to farmers, to labor activists.  Such as the socialist Bernie Sanders, who wrote about his concerns in the Wall Street Journal (behind a paywall).  Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are calling for a moratorium while the impact is studied.

This reminds me of opposition to the Lava Ridge Wind Project.  It came from multiple sides.  When our state legislature unanimously opposed the incredible idea.  I had told House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel about local opposition. She did some research and got the Democrats’ caucus on board.

Danger, Danger, Danger

AI is going to deliver some wonders.  We may see life expectancy double, and equations that have bedeviled us for millennia solved in minutes.

More than 30 years ago, I was at a public hearing on a matter I don’t remember, but I can recall a comment from one of the men testifying.  He told me the Taoist symbol (Yin Yang) is split between opportunity and danger.  Tread softly.