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Water and the hidden cost of AI data centres (aussie.zone)
submitted 2 weeks ago by to c/australia@aussie.zone
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Sydney Water is preparing for data centres to consume 25% of Sydney’s water by 2035.

No data centre operating in Australia is required to disclose how much water it consumes, nor is there a law currently requiring any of them to recycle it. And even if they do, the cooling process generates toxins hard to get rid of.

The water that passes through data centre cooling systems does not come out the same as it went in. Biocides, heavy metals, corrosion inhibitors and PFAS — forever chemicals that do not break down in the environment — accumulate in cooling water and are discharged into municipal water systems. Once in the supply, those chemicals cannot be removed by standard treatment.

This is already an issue in the US.

The peak industry body, Data Centre Australia, confirmed this year that questions about chemical waste from its members’ facilities were the first it had received on the subject. When those facilities eventually decommission their hardware, the environmental and financial cost of safe disposal will fall somewhere — on industry, on government, or on the public.

No Australian government has said which.

https://michaelwest.com.au/waste-tsunami-water-and-the-hidden-cost-of-ai-data-centres/

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[–] [S] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 children)

Nath, as a self-proclaimed luddite I'd like to explain to you that luddites, historically, were workers that rebelled against industrial change that took their skilled jobs away and did NOT give them viable options other than menial, repetitive labour at a lower rate of pay. The 19th century industrial revolution made a minority wealthy and brought misery to a majority.

A luddite is not just someone who says 'no' to change because they don't like change. They can see the dehumanisation embedded in new technology and object vehemently to it. There are MANY issues regarding the use of AI which are potentially and definitively harmful to life on this planet. We must not overlook any of them.

EDIT: Some call the era we are entering post-human fascism.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (1 child)

    Interesting comment. I was only thinking the other day about how Luddite is always casually used as an insult, as someone who can't accept change just because they're stubborn, elderly, old fashioned, etc. I'm very anti AI, particularly generative AI so I was kinda thinking shit, am I a Luddite, next thought was but...is that a bad thing? AI does have a lot of problems and isn't being regulated or controlled - it's only growing more powerful and harmful while governments drag their feet. It's absolutely dehumanising in so many ways.

    I will do some research on luddites as I really don't know enough - only the term thrown around casually as a negative!

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  • [–] 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    And how successful has any luddite movement in history been, ever?

    AI is just getting started. In fact, what we have now isn't even AI yet. That's just the term used for Language Learning Models. It isn't intelligent at all, it's kind of a turbo Google, which is good at aggregating human knowledge into something that sounds coherent. Do I love it? Not really. Could I personally live without it? Easily and happily. Will I be employable in 10 years if I choose to live without it? Doubtful. It is here, and it won't go away.

    Even if Australia gets zero AI data centres, it won't stop it being widely available to Australians. It is already widely used in Australia. So, at best you can say we saved Australia from the environmental impact of AI, while Australians actively contribute to the impact AI data centres make in other nations.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 2 weeks ago

    And how successful has any luddite movement in history been, ever?

    A little history. I hope you find this interesting and enjoyable. https://socialistworker.co.uk/in-depth/the-real-luddites/ Quote:

    The effects of the Luddites’ revolt were considerable. It encouraged the birth of the trade union and socialist movement in Britain.

    .........

    Will I be employable in 10 years if I choose to live without it? Doubtful. It is here, and it won’t go away.

    Not saying it would be easy but we could have more intentional communities where AI tech is kept to a minimum and in which food could be grown, and skills learnt in building, and so on, e.g the Amish and similar groups.

    Ok, so that may sound extreme but we need to live lives in which AI is not an evil presence that takes over every aspect. AI and the fiddlers behind it need to be strictly regulated and not allowed to destroy the remaining vestiges of democracy and social order. If malicious AI agents break into banking or security / weapons systems we could have the destruction of much of 'advanced' society and/or the imposition of extreme authoritarianism. Those village folks who live off their vegie gardens, their chooks and a few other stock may be the only civilisation that can survive.

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