AI is stealing writers’ words and jobs…

[trappedslider]

And lets not forget the disastrous cost to the environment (Gen-AI's required use of water evaporates that water completely, while human use typically "re-uses" water as it returns to the system). Not to mention the ever-increasing strain on the power grid. It is simply unsustainable (and as of now, extremely expensive as you say).

Data Center Water Usage: A Comprehensive Guide

Data centers use significant amounts of water for their cooling systems and this usage is gaining recognition in water-stressed regions of the world.

dgtlinfra.com

so why is AI being singled out when:

The ecological cost of a tweet | Envirotec

Image credit: Shutterstock.com / Koshiro K. Each of our digital activities comes with an ecological cost - and we perhaps shouldn't discount those carr ...

envirotecmagazine.com

Report on ChatGPT Model’s Carbon Emissions Hints at AI’s Huge – and Growing – Impact on Climate

If AI is scaled up, the resulting carbon footprint could rival that of cryptocurrencies.

truthout.org

 

[Art Waring]

If I beleived in a higher power I would pray to see them go bankrupt as fast as possible.

Sadly, if they do go under they will likely be bought out by Microsoft, who hold a significant share in OpenAI, which may even be what they want in the long run.

The thing is, Open-AI started out as a tax-exempt non-profit before they changed to a for-profit model. It is tragic, as they started with good intentions, though they are now in the midst of countless lawsuits (ranging from artists & writers, to the NYT, to Scarlet Johansen?) due to their questionable business practices.

Here is a news article covering Sam Altman's rise (which I find ironic, as he is essentially a capitol investor, not a technician, he has no coding skills and has admitted that he has no idea how gen-ai actually works, despite evangelizing its potential benefits akin to a Star Trek utopia).

Altman was representing one of the leading AI companies; I was there as a scientist and author, well known for my scepticism about many things AI-related. I found Altman surprisingly engaging. There were moments when he ducked questions (most notably Blumenthal’s “What are you most worried about?”, which I pushed Altman to answer with more candour), but on the whole he seemed genuine, and I recall saying as much to the senators at the time. We both came out strongly for AI regulation. Little by little, though, I realised that I, the Senate, and ultimately the American people, had probably been played.

I started to reconsider after someone sent me a tip, about something small but telling. At the Senate, Altman painted himself as far more altruistic than he really was. Senator John Kennedy had asked: “OK. You make a lot of money. Do you?” Altman responded: “I make no… I get paid enough for health insurance. I have no equity in OpenAI,” elaborating that: “I’m doing this ’cause I love it.” The senators ate it up.

Altman wasn’t telling the full truth. He didn’t own any stock in OpenAI, but he did own stock in Y Combinator, and Y Combinator owned stock in OpenAI. Which meant that Sam had an indirect stake in OpenAI, a fact acknowledged on OpenAI’s website. If that indirect stake were worth just 0.1% of the company’s value, which seems plausible, it would be worth nearly $100m.

That omission was a warning sign. And when the topic returned, he could have corrected it. But he didn’t. People loved his selfless myth. (He doubled down, in a piece with Fortune, claiming that he didn’t need equity with OpenAI because he had “enough money”.) Not long after that, I discovered OpenAI had made a deal with a chip company that Altman owned a piece of. The selfless bit started to ring hollow.


The discussion about money wasn’t, in hindsight, the only thing from our time in the Senate that didn’t feel entirely candid. Far more important was OpenAI’s stance on regulation around AI. Publicly, Altman told the Senate he supported it. The reality is far more complicated.

Just some things to consider.

Hope you have a nice day, Cheers.

 

[Art Waring]

Data Center Water Usage: A Comprehensive Guide

Data centers use significant amounts of water for their cooling systems and this usage is gaining recognition in water-stressed regions of the world.

dgtlinfra.com

so why is AI being singled out when:

The ecological cost of a tweet | Envirotec

Image credit: Shutterstock.com / Koshiro K. Each of our digital activities comes with an ecological cost - and we perhaps shouldn't discount those carr ...

envirotecmagazine.com

Report on ChatGPT Model’s Carbon Emissions Hints at AI’s Huge – and Growing – Impact on Climate

If AI is scaled up, the resulting carbon footprint could rival that of cryptocurrencies.

truthout.org

 

[trappedslider]

ah reply with a meme instead of actual saying why one is worse than the other.

Microsoft’s data center in Goodyear uses 56 million gallons of water a year. The city produces 4.9 BILLION gallons per year just from surface water and, with future expansion, has the ability to produce 5.84 billion gallons (source: https://www.goodyearaz.gov/government/departments/water-services/water-conservation). It produces more from groundwater, but the source doesn't say how much. Additionally, the city actively recharges the aquifer by sending treated effluent to a Soil Aquifer Treatment facility. This provides needed recharged water to the aquifer and stores water underground for future needs. Also, the Goodyear facility doesn't just host AI. We have no idea how much of the compute is used for AI. It's probably less than half.

article from '11 about Google using electricity https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/technology/google-details-and-defends-its-use-of-electricity.html

and 2020 with a chart:
How Google Powers Its ‘Monopoly’ With Enough Electricity For Entire Countries

Everything consumes power and resources, including superfluous things like video games and social media. Why is AI not allowed to when other, less useful things can?

 

[Scribe]

Data Center Water Usage: A Comprehensive Guide

Data centers use significant amounts of water for their cooling systems and this usage is gaining recognition in water-stressed regions of the world.

dgtlinfra.com

so why is AI being singled out when:

The ecological cost of a tweet | Envirotec

Image credit: Shutterstock.com / Koshiro K. Each of our digital activities comes with an ecological cost - and we perhaps shouldn't discount those carr ...

envirotecmagazine.com

Report on ChatGPT Model’s Carbon Emissions Hints at AI’s Huge – and Growing – Impact on Climate

If AI is scaled up, the resulting carbon footprint could rival that of cryptocurrencies.

truthout.org

Agreed, shut down social media.

 

[trappedslider]

Agreed, shut down social media.

I wonder what the footprint of the server farm this site is hosted on is.

 

[Scribe]

I wonder what the footprint of the server farm this site is hosted on is.

In comparison to Google, or Twitter, or Reddit? Unless its a shared Cloud Host (likely but still) a fraction I would assume.

Its like the comparisons between a Calculator, or AI.
Or a small local business, and a megacorp.

Just because one can see some similarity if they squint hard enough, scale matters, a lot.

 

[trappedslider]

In comparison to Google, or Twitter, or Reddit? Unless its a shared Cloud Host (likely but still) a fraction I would assume.

so i looked into reddit and it would seem and as of February 2024, Reddit uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform. AWS is also how some games host their multiplayer.

 

[Art Waring]

ah reply with a meme instead of actual saying why one is worse than the other.

I used a meme because of the nature of your post. This thread is about Gen-AI, not about crypto, blockchain, or NFT's, all of which do use up power.

However, just because these others do as well, does not mean that you can deflect from the main subject at hand (gen-ai). Thus, I used a meme to illustrate how your deflection does not contribute to the conversation about gen-ai.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[overgeeked]

I 100% agree with you on all this. But I'm going to push back a bit on this particular bit.

And lets not forget the disastrous cost to the environment (Gen-AI's required use of water evaporates that water completely, while human use typically "re-uses" water as it returns to the system).

So...where do you think the water goes when it's evaporated by use for Gen "AI"?