Yay datacenters...driving up electricity costs

[Climber]

I agree. Look at all the AI-generated short films on Youtube. Some of them get millions of views. It proves people are perfectly willing to accept "AI slop" instead of "real" art. Call it lazy if you want, but there's no stopping it.

Also even if you personally don't use AI apps, you are still benefitting from companies and organizations that do, whether it's to streamline their operations, perform R&D, sequence DNA, or whatever

And it's not just data centers that use a lot of power. How about factories, I'm pretty sure they use a lot of power too. Should you get a break on your power bill just because you don't buy anything from those factories? How about healthcare? Pretty sure MRIs use a lot of power.

I would question the 'benefit' that people recieve from AI, the vast majority of videos being produced out there are AI generated and intended to deceive.

Your last part is getting a bit muddy, seems like you're reaching to justify the power usage of AI.

 

[Mike95060]

You tube could also decide to limit pushing AI slop in the algorithm. I'm hoping there is a real competitor to you tube. The ads, the way the algorithm works, how they pay people, I think it all kinda sucks and is getting worse. I know they are going to keep enshitifying the platform until more people pay for their premium service. I'm never going to do that. I already pay for youtube tv to watch sports.

How do we, the consumer, push back against enshitification?

 

[Ridley]

How do we, the consumer, push back against enshitification?

Turn off YouTube and go outside, that’s how.

 

[Mike95060]

Turn off YouTube and go outside, that’s how.

Dude, c'mon. You know that's not the answer. I got receipts for my outside time. We don't spend 24 hrs a day "doing." Downtime and leisure and consuming content is a thing and that's ok. We still need way to push back against tech we don't like and isn't serving us.

 

[mlm]

Who the fuck is asking for this?

According to the article the city likes this because the increased tax revenues (with minimal service needs). Seems debatable whether this will increase rates, and arguably that it will lower them in the long run due to the infrastructure build out.

Also, if San Jose doesn't get them another local city will

 

[greenmonster]

Dude, c'mon. You know that's not the answer. I got receipts for my outside time. We don't spend 24 hrs a day "doing." Downtime and leisure and consuming content is a thing and that's ok. We still need way to push back against tech we don't like and isn't serving us.

But isn’t one way to push back against tech is to just not use it?
If someone needs it for work or school that’s one thing, but a lot of us are choosing to use tech when we don’t need to, then we complain about it.

 

[Climber]

But isn’t one way to push back against tech is to just not use it?
If someone needs it for work or school that’s one thing, but a lot of us are choosing to use tech when we don’t need to, then we complain about it.

Very true.
Americans like to complain about things that they're complicit in creating.
A prime example of this is the 'news' organizations that are all moving towards selling outrage over showing news.

 

[Reli]

I would question the 'benefit' that people recieve from AI, the vast majority of videos being produced out there are AI generated and intended to deceive.

Your last part is getting a bit muddy, seems like you're reaching to justify the power usage of AI.

I'm talking about stuff like sci-fi films, 10-30 minutes long, sometimes even longer. They're not trying to deceive anyone, everyone knows they're AI, but they watch them anyway. The characters are wonky, and the script doesn't always match up with the action, but it's getting better and better. It's only a matter of time before acting won't be a viable job anymore, except at playhouses and low-paid stuff like that where the audience can pat themselves on their backs for appreciating "vintage"

Just call it the democratization of the film industry. Big studios heyday has come and gone, and that's a good thing. AI has given individual people the power to make their own shit, and make money from it.

 

[Akira-R]

But isn’t one way to push back against tech is to just not use it?
If someone needs it for work or school that’s one thing, but a lot of us are choosing to use tech when we don’t need to, then we complain about it.

The biggest consumer of AI isn't the public like us. So whether we use it or not won't affect their bottom line. The government and companies with government contracts are the ones using/paying for this (probably through our taxes).

 

[Blankpage]

I'm talking about stuff like sci-fi films, 10-30 minutes long, sometimes even longer. They're not trying to deceive anyone, everyone knows they're AI, but they watch them anyway. The characters are wonky, and the script doesn't always match up with the action, but it's getting better and better.

Interesting, got a link?

 

[Butch]

Goodness, I love you guys. Gals. So many brilliant viewpoints

 

[Mike95060]

This is rad.

 

[NorCalBusa]

Energy has been a rather non-addressed issue for decades across the country and pointedly in Kaliforniastan. Most alternative methods seem to fall short of expectations in net generation and well above forecasted costs. As pointed out, data centers consume enormous amounts and power companies are overwhelmed trying to keep up. While we won't pay that cost directly, you can bet it will be passed through their commercial customers in pricing to us all. Nukes seem the answer, small and large, I'm sure you've seen the truck mounted mini-nukes that can serve 30-50k people. Now to deal with that pesky end-of-life uranium is another unsolved challenge.

 

[Climber]

Yes, nuclear plants do offer a solution, however, our politicians have thoroughly demonstrated that they are thoroughly unfit in handling nuclear waste, every last one of them prefers to kick the can down the road rather than properly handle it and the costs of delying are enormous and growing at a squared root rate.

So, as viable as it is, we can't continue with it until the past waste is properly dealt with, which I don't expect to see happen any time soon.

 

[GAJ]

But isn’t one way to push back against tech is to just not use it?
If someone needs it for work or school that’s one thing, but a lot of us are choosing to use tech when we don’t need to, then we complain about it.

I don't own a cellphone and every time I'm out and about and seeing people mesmerized by one I'm happy for making that choice.

The other night at 8pm I almost ran over a pedestrian making a right at a light as there was little light out and she was wearing dark clothes staring at he cellphone as she nonchalantly crossed the street towards me.

I didn't cross even cross her path but it made both of us jump.

Pedestrians can be like squirrels apparently.

 

[Climber]

Technology, like many other things, can be useful or harmful.
It all comes down to how you use it.

 

[budman]

Pedestrians can be like squirrels apparently.

One of my friends is a squirrel and got hit by a car while wearing all black at night and jaywalking a week ago.

Busted his lower leg. No surgery but gonna be in a cast for a long time. He knows it was basically his fault.
No mention of being on the phone, but...... possible.

 

[GAJ]

One of my friends is a squirrel and got hit by a car while wearing all black at night and jaywalking a week ago.

Busted his lower leg. No surgery but gonna be in a cast for a long time. He knows it was basically his fault.
No mention of being on the phone, but...... possible.

If I was out walking late and crossing a somewhat busy road I'd try and wear lighter colors, have my head on a swivel and hustle along.

That seems to be the exception.

 

[Climber]

One of my friends is a squirrel and got hit by a car while wearing all black at night and jaywalking a week ago.

Busted his lower leg. No surgery but gonna be in a cast for a long time. He knows it was basically his fault.
No mention of being on the phone, but...... possible.

At the very least, you can't get hit by a car if you're looking for them. There seems to be an epidemic of people not following what people from our generation had drilled into us as kids.....look both ways before crossing.

They can't seem to drag their noses out of their phones long enough to ensure their own survival, trusting that they'll be safe if they walk out into the road.

Natural selection seems much stronger now as our civilization declines.

A caveat is that pedestrians on the side of the road and bicycle riders are becoming victims of assholes texting while driving.

 

[augustiron]

Disagree that natural selection is stronger now, I believe 100% the opposite.

Idiots are insulated from most consequences of their actions and we are continually padding the world to keep them safe.