So, there’s a piece in Jacobin arguing that data center moratoria are a “terrible idea” making the rounds on social media and beyond. It’s pretty easy to see why this makes for some good discourse; naturally, there’s going to be frisson among AI optimists when a perceived opponent—here, the nation’s most influential socialist magazine—makes a case for aligning with the tech industry’s goals.
While I’m pretty unconvinced on all but one or two of the points that the piece itself raises, and I think it seriously misconstrues the class politics of data center fights, I do think it’s worth litigating this idea. Because I do believe we should be thinking about what a broader and more engaged politics of resisting, regulating, and ultimately governing AI might look like. It’s a good occasion, in other words, to ask:
- Who is fighting data centers?
- Why are they fighting them?
- Are anti-data center movements a dead end—or a starting point?
It’s impossible to totally ban it since these models can be run locally. Anyway I think if we’re going to allow people to make AI slop and consume absurd amounts of electricity then there needs to be some guardrails put in place. Premium utility tax for electricity consumed (also apply this to crypto), watermarks for AI content, priority for renewables in new grid power, provisions for noise pollution. All of it.
But like the article points out, what we need here is time and the tech overlords just don’t want to give us that.
Watermarks for AI content is a non-starter, there’s no possible way to enforce this. Pandora’s box has been opened, and even if you mandated all the big AI companies do it, the open source models that exist (or will be developed) will be available to bypass it.
Nothing wrong with charging actual costs for electricity or expanding the grid with renewables. These are actually relevant ideas.
Noise pollution? I haven’t heard that one before. As long as the data centers aren’t running generators, the noise from them should be lower than almost any other industrial user.
They tend to have a massive amount of cooling units on top, which does create a lot of noise. There are also instances of the companies using portable diesel and even turbine generators to power their data centers, which has got to be infuriating to live near.
From that linked article.
Hundreds of feet!
They aren’t building these 50 feet from residential properties. I don’t think this is an actual issue.