Comment by beeflet
2 days ago
The amount of electricity we can produce is limited only by regulation, because we have practically unlimited amount of fission energy under our feet. That is what you are seeing now with all of these new nuclear plants being built and de-decommissioned. If that is too scary for you, we also have the world's greatest reserves of shale gas.
I am not pro-AI, and I agree that the market will crash. But what I take issue with is this NIMBY mentality that we should nitpick proposals with a thousand fake reasons for why we can't build anything in this country. We can't do big engineering projects like china because they are too much of an eyesore or they use too much water or they're not zoned correctly.
We can't put up a new apartment block, it's too much of a strain on the local water supply. Okay can we collect more water, invest in a new reservoir? Of course not, it will endanger the tumbleweed population.
We can't let a new datacenter go up because it will cause everyone's power prices to increase. Okay maybe we can produce more power?? No, BECAUSE ENERGY IS FINITE AND THE SUN IS JUST GOING TO EXPLODE ANYWAYS SO WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE. WTF?
Why can't we build things? Because we just can't, and actually it's impossible and you are rude for suggesting we build anything ever. It's circular reasoning designed to placate suburban NPCs.
If you oppose AI because it is ruining art, or it will drive people out of jobs, just say that. Because these fake complaints about power and water are neither compelling nor effective (they are just technological and material problems which will be ironed out in the coming generations).
These firms can do what they like if and only if they pay for every $7B reactor, the 30k year waste stewardship, and disconnect from community resources people paid for with taxes. However, currently the unethical burden cities with the endless bill for resources, contribute no actual value, and one may spot the data center waste heat signatures and industrial run-off from space.
Consider most "AI" firms lost on average $4.50 for every new user, rely on overt piracy, and delusional boards sand-bagging for time... these LLM businesses are simply unsustainable fictions.
Many problems don't have simple answers, but one may merely profit by their predictable nature. I would recommend volunteering with a local pet rescue society if you find yourself getting upset about trivia. Have a great day. =3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAcwtV_bFp4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx4Tpsk_fnM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-8TDOFqkQA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yftBiNu0ZNU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrTrOCQZoQE
What trivia? I don't disagree that the AI companies are unprofitable.
These AI companies are paying for the reactors. As for waste, The Department of Energy handles spent nuclear fuel. Protests against the construction of yucca mountain have made this impossible. Nuclear power plants repeatedly sue the US Government for the cost of storing this nuclear waste on-site, because it's the DOE's problem.
And it is a totally artificial political problem. It is not even nessisarially "waste" in the sense that we ordinarily think: there is a significant amount of fissile isotope in spent fuel and countries like france recycle the majority of spent nuclear fuel. We could do the same with the right infrastructure, and it would vastly decrease the amount of waste we produce and uranium we need to mine.
My point is that complaints in these youtube videos you link (which I am very accustomed to, I have been following this for decades) present the argument that AI is politically dangerous, and this is totally separate from these material complaints (not enough water, not enough power, not enough chips, etc.) you pretend are a significant problem.
These are just extrinsic flaws which can be solved (and WILL be solved, if the USA is able to restore its manufacturing base, which it should). But my issue is purely with the intrinsic dangers of this tech, which are not fixable.
Some of the videos you link are just this suburban NIMBY nagging about muh noise pollution. You might as well get a video of people complaining about EMF pollution. The big issue here is that AI is going to take all of our jobs and will essentially harken the end of the world as we know it. It is going to get incredibly ugly very soon. Who cares about what some 50 year old boomer homeowner (who isn't going to live to see this unfold anyways) thinks about some gray building being built remotely nearby their suburb. They should go back to watching TV.
As for me, I am going to campaign to have my local pet rescue society demolished. It uses too much water and space and electricity, and for what? Something I don't care for? Seems unethical to me that I should bear the cost incurred through increased demand for these resources, even though I did not explicitly consent to the animal shelter being constructed.
>These AI companies are paying for the reactors.
This is demonstrably false with negative revenue, and when the gamblers default on the loans it is the public that will bear the consequences. Similar to sub-prime mortgages people on the con are getting tired.
Dismissing facts because you personally feel they are not important is silly. If you think the US will "win" the "AGI" race... than you are fooling yourself, as everything has already been stolen.
Have a great day, and maybe go outside for a walk to settle down a bit if you are uncomfortable with the way imaginary puppies, bunnies, and kittens make you feel. Community non-profit organizations offer tangible goodwill, and are very different from ephemeral LLM fads externalizing a suckers-bet on the public. =3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcGLveebwjo