• Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone
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    4 days ago

    However, the pollution comes from the source of power.

    Unless the AI is running on fairy dust, its energy use is very much a part of how sustainable it is.

    • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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      4 days ago

      It is important to anticipate the argument that they are getting the power from renewable sources.

      • Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone
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        4 days ago

        But they aren’t. What they could be doing is irrelevant, none of the big ones are running 100% (or probably even 50%) green energy.

        • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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          4 days ago

          This is anticipating the arguments in front of the planning boards.

          I get that a lot of data centers use coal and other polluting sources of power. The problem is how that gets represented when trying to create local opposition.

          • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            4 days ago

            This is anticipating the arguments in front of the planning boards

            Nope, it’s a poor attempt at playing Devil’s advocate.

            Your starting point of assuming that your audience doesn’t know that extreme power consumption inevitably leads to increased pollution is condescending at best.

            Especially in a country where the federal government has made renewable energy all but illegal while promoting fossil fuels at every opportunity.

            Granted, that country is also the world’s number one importer, exporter, producer, and sponsor of disinformation, but STILL…