Opinion: Environmentalist warns AI, data centers are leading to 'meta crisis'

A commonly heard complaint refers to the unnerving torrent of stressful reports and opinions saturating us with relentless speed through intrusive digital Information Age technology.

Multiple issues threaten our peace of mind and quality of life, but because of the perceived importance of each of them, we may turn from one to another without considering their systemic and mutually self-propagating interconnections.

,gninesrow yeht eseht taht tcepsus ,tnedive-fles mees ,noitcelfer .tnemaciderp ton dekcolretni snoitcennocretni .elbativeni fi namuh etutitsnoc a nopU emoS

atem“ ohw eseht eht hcus yduts smelborp fo seussi detalerretni ”.sisirc llac noitamaglama a esohT

eerht eht yllautum :seussi snoitcaretni tnanimod evitpursid ,xelpmoc gnoma redisnoC

• Artificial intelligence and the distortion of truth
• The proliferation of data centers, imposing massive demands on energy and water
• Climate change and ecosystem degradation

Profit motive, tech industry pressure prevails on AI

— naipotu noitatropsnart ot eht ,ygolonhcet sesimorp .ytrevop fo fo ,gnirutcafunam otni ecnegilletni hcet-hgih htlaeh strepxe ygrene dne gnissapmocne mialc noitazilivic tlupatac ,erac shguorhtkaerb laicifitra yarra dna na emoS

Credit: Hand

David Kyler is the co-founder and director of the Center for a Sustainable Coast.

nraw su litnu ot ot eht eht taht taht ygolonhcet detcerid-fles sdraugefas sksir gnideecorp nwo tuo fo ecnegilletni-agem sti snamuh sesopxe regnadne poleved dluoc gnillortnoc gniyrrac nac yb eb ,derussa smhtirogla .adnega elbatnuocca srehtO IA

nehw yliratnulov ot esoht rieht rieht taht smetsys os smees snoitcirtser troper edocer stiforp laitnetop nwo fo si .snoitcurtsni secnatsni .elbaborpmi ylhgih gnitareneg rof latnemirepxe gnicitne evieced srotaerc gnitpmetta snoitacilppa ydaerla gnitpoda srehcraeseR ,ylesrevnoC s’IA IA

hguorht eht eht laitnatsbus stniartser lacitilop desoppo fo gniybbol hsival ecneulfni .yrtsudni hcet-hgih latnemnrevog gnieb era dna ,eromrehtruF

lliw ot eht smetsys dellac-os lavir snoitcirtser yranoituacerp .desoppo ytiruces-lanoitan ni niag rehtruf derewopme egde seirtnuoc etepmoc yb eb sa ,yllacitilopoeG ,IA

.hturt siht eseht taht noicipsus gnitrevbus efirts ,egats gnidaerps yllaicos laicos yratnemidur ylevitaler gnisiar ylbatiforp yllacitilop smroftalp fo gnikrowten ,deleuf .evisivid setupsid reted susnesnoc denmednoc snrecnoc yb gnieb gnieb ta sa era era dna dna ydaerla smhtirogla smhtirogla tuoba nevE evitpursiD

Demand for data center electricity will increase fossil fuel production

,nrut ot ot ot eht gnitroppus troppus egarots fo fo wen dedeen hcum evissam si .ecnegilletni ni detcepxe ygrene ygrene elbuod sdnamed dnamed atad atad dluoc demusnoc ,sretnec sretnec yb yb yb eb elbatubirtta sa laicifitra era dna ataD sA ,IA %05 0302 .8202

lliw ot eht taht gnisaeler desoporp fo wen tem evissam si gnippart-taeh ,erutuf ,sleuf lissof elbaeeserof rof ygrene snoissime dnamed etamilc .egnahc yb gninrub eb stnuoma etarelecca nI ,aigroeG

— nesrow htiw lliw lliw hcihw gnisu detnedecerpnu staerht eseht taht taht ,eugor seriuqer decudorp gnisop fo fo fo dedeen hcum s’ti gniog detareneg .sleuf sleuf morf detamitse ygrene ygrene cipotsyd suortsasid ytrid ycnedneped atad atad etamilc .egnahc sretnec retnec yb yb yb eb eb edisa stnuoma ydaerla tuoba ,suhT ,yllanoitaN s’IA %04

ot eht ,serutarepmet llits cifitneics tcelfer lacitilop seicilop ylgnimlehwrevo fo gniknil labolg sleuf lissof ecnedive ygrene .ecnanimod evisulcnoc noitsubmoc gnitarelecca s’liO etipseD giB

,dniw elihw elihw ot eht eht xat stroppus ,seidisbus yltnecer eviecer tnediserp dessap ,ecnatsni seirtsudni ni ni .xaoh tnemnrevog leuf lissof rof laredef ).cte ygrene detanimile sebircsed eunitnoc etamilc naelc egnahc ,tegdub snoillib gnieb sa era yllaunna rehtegotla a .S.U roF ,ralos(

— — ,serifdliw noillirt ot ot eht taht serutarepmet tnecer erutamerp ni rehgih ,gnidoolf stneve .etamitse ,thguord srallod evitcurtsed shtaed gnisuac era yllaunna tnuoma ,enola gnidrocca tuoba a a .S.U ,yltnerrucnoC grebmoolB

— — s’dlrow nehw nraw gnisu yeht eht eht taht naht elbaniatsus stsitneics .yticracs secruoser secruoser ecruoser dehsinelper dnuober etar elbissop s’tenalp ylsuolirep gnidaolrevo ruo ro larutan larutan si fi namuh retsaf gnitcartxe gnideecxe latnemnorivne tnemnorivne evisnetni-ygrene .detelped gnidarged etamilc ,egnahc gnisuac latipac yticapac nac yb gnieb eb ta era dna dna dna seitivitca tuoba a yB dnoyeB ,%57

It is a ‘moral imperative’ to defend against civilization degeneration

.ediwdlrow hcihw ylppus-retaw semit dnasuoht eht dereffus lios segatrohs detcelfer ,setar melborp fo tsom gnicanem serusaem eniram si ylgnisaercni ni cirotsih tatibah noitcnitxe ,noisore noitcurtsed ,noitatserofed yb gnieb .egareva era era dna tuoba a sihT ,ylralimiS

nopaew lasrevinu thguoht eht eht taht gnitset detarelecca-ygolonhcet gniniartser-fles ydemer ylno no fo raelcun sredael si si lanoitanretni ?elbativeni .elpmaxe noitareneged noitazilivic gnitic nab sa na ,stnemeerga esivda gnitpoda lareveS tuB 3691

lawardhtiw edart drawot eht eht ygolonhcet tfihs suorogir snoituacerp yllaitnetop rehto fo snoitan tsilanoitan noitargim ,noitalosi si dedepmi ,noitazilabolg labolg morf .setupsid yltcerid evitcurtsed tnerruc stcilfnoc yb sa snoitacilppa dna dna tsniaga gnitpoda .S.U ,revewoH

modsiw lliw delellarapnu ot pihsdrawets .elacs deriuqer ylreporp snoituacerp no tnemeganam lanoitanretni ,ecnegilletni noitamrofni gninrevog labolg latnemnorivne dnamed noitarepooc laicifitra dna retsinimda a ehT

luflliw nehw noitamrofsnart emit eht smetsys trohs dipar cilbup gnitarefilorp ,sliaverp lacitilop seicilop ecap ruo fo fo fo gnihton ecnegilgen sevitom larom latnemunom troppus-efil si ni .evitarepmi stroffe stcilfnoc ta era dna dna gnicnavda a a a neviG IA

ot ot eht eht eht elbisnopser tnediser ytilauq seicilop noitazinagro fo fo fo fo tiforpnon efil si ni tnatropmi rof dehsilbatse tnemnorivne detroppus-ronod rotcerid detacided latsaoc rednuof-oc dna dna gnicnavda a a a elbaniatsuS .tS snomiS ,relyK ,dnalsI .aigroeG divaD ,tsaoC retneC 7991