Here's How the AI Crash Happens; The Atlantic

[jfz9580m]

11. I hope it happens before it does more damage

I am glad people are fighting this. If this was for a verifiably worthwhile science it would be one thing. It is true that I am a layperson. But I am not particularly conspiracy minded. I am certainly not a Luddite. However, going by the people driving this (those sleazy industry leaders primarily), it seems like an endeavour propelled by charlatans rather than scientists. I could be wrong (hedge ;-/). But as of now I don’t view this as a positive development - not rolled out this way anyway.

A couple of people I know (an academic researcher and a student) were telling me that department heads are aggressively pushing AI on students and researchers. And then I ask “Is it any good? Is it useful?” The answer so far is “No. It’s garbage”. Talk about mindless trend following..

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/maryland-farmers-data-centers-extension-cord-power-lines-rcna233324

Farmers fight an 'extension cord' for data centers
Tensions over a proposed 67-mile transmission line have rocked Maryland's farming communities, as the nation’s largest grid operator says data centers are driving power demands.

For more than a year, tensions over a plan to construct a 67-mile transmission line across three Maryland counties — Baltimore, Frederick and Carroll — have rocked the state’s farming communities. Landowners have staked signs along the highway declaring, “No eminent domain for corporate gain.” A court battle has escalated into threatening social media posts and heated confrontations between farmers and land surveyors. Local officials from all three counties have opposed the project, and some have pleaded with state and federal officials to intervene.

“People are scared,” said Steve McKay, a councilman in Frederick County. “It brings people to tears. It makes others angry — the notion that this out-of-state firm is going to come in and potentially be given the authority by eminent domain to take land.”

The $424 million Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project is an effort by PJM Interconnection, which operates all or part of the electric grid for 13 states, including Maryland, to address climbing power demands amid the growth of energy-hungry data centers and an artificial intelligence boom.

“Without these upgrades, Maryland may face severe grid congestion, threatening both affordability and reliability for ratepayers,” the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), the New Jersey-based utility company responsible for building the line, said in a statement.