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The only data centers we should be building (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/fuck_ai@lemmy.world
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(TikTok screencap)

A photo inside a bookstore with the caption ‘the only "data centers" we should be funding:’

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[–] 43 points 5 months ago (7 children)

I think actual digital data centers can have value for humanity. You need to store things like Wikipedia and Archive.org and other worthwhile sites and services somewhere.

What is shit is the explosion in "data" centers that are really more like gigawatt space heaters that spit out fake images and wrong statements on the side.

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago* (4 children)

    Yeah, I know the perversion of words is a regular thing (for various malicious or random reasons), but the the current use of "AI" and "data certes" really keeps fucking me mid communication (evey time I hear "AI" I think "oh, non-AI-AI").

    The last time this happened as much (iirc) was the word "literally" (as in 'it literally keeps fucking me mid communication').

    So yes, data centres (libraries) are important, including managing risks of such centres (eg de/centralisation, concentration, etc).
    I would say intelligence is important too but ... I lack the evidence.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Literally has meant figuratively longer than literally only meant objectively.

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    • [+] 30 points 5 months ago* (8 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 24 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    Thats a bit sad.

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  • [+] -9 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    No it is not. Libraries have been used for >1000 years to gatekeep information and education by kings and churches. Digital media has democratized this.

    There really is no point in taking up campus space to store very expensive paper that is hard to find, and can only be accessed by one person at a time.

    My university is converting libraries to study spaces. Many modern scientific journals are only digital.

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  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    Where in India? I've never seen this in the South.

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  • [+] 6 points 5 months ago (3 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 5 points 5 months ago* (2 children)

    Sheesh. You can always find books in a library in Chennai. In fact there are lending libraries where they only lend.

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    • [–] 13 points 5 months ago

    Have you ever seen a Cybertruck in the parking lot of the public library? Thought so.

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    [–] 22 points 5 months ago*

    I used to shelve books for a living. I just love being in libraries. I like how quite they are... I love that people there have a purpose and it is noble. I love how it is the number one weapon against fascism. I love libraries. It is no wonder why they are defunding them in the USA. We are a disgusting people. I live in the arm pit of the world.

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    [–] 9 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    I'm half-expecting to see a full-torso apparition in that photo. Maybe some symmetrical book stacking, like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947.

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    • [+] 7 points 5 months ago (4 children)
    [deleted]
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    • [–] 4 points 5 months ago

    Furry pr0n digital data centres (non-AI) are culturally important too - and it's just not possible to print out everything, there is way too much stuff.

    Won't you think of the poor furries?
    Who do you think keeps all the internet infrastructure up & running??

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    [–] 7 points 5 months ago (6 children)

    disagreed if it weren't for digital media I wouldn't have learned what I know today

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  • [–] 9 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    I'd be down with publicly funded digital libraries.

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    • [–] 4 points 5 months ago (13 children)

    Maybe, just maybe, AI should do librarian work? Big virtual library where you can just ask a question and instead of answering it AI just points you to category or proposes some specific books?

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  • [–] 14 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    It's sounds like just a search engine.

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  • [–] 9 points 5 months ago* (6 children)

    The present problems with AI/LLM are already apparent.

    Imagine a library where the librarian assembles the book for you based on your reading history, the whims of the rich person that paid for the library chain, and corporation that wants you to stay engaged with their chain of libraries. The book is handed to you and it’s written to not offend you or be objectively critical of the subject you’re interested in (because if you are asked to be critical of your views you might be butthurt and not come back), and to align with your existing views. Interleaved in the pages are ads for you, too. Just like print magazines. The sources for the info could be compiled from anywhere, but who needs those anyway? Nobody looks at them. The Librarian is only as good as its programming, so every once in a while it’s just gonna make shit up and it definitely won’t criticize the methodology of its developers.

    Every time someone asks for that same book it’s different, because it’s re-written for each individual based on their data-mined profile, their required adult identity proof to use the service, and their subscription information.

    Or you could go to a public library, for free, grab two or three books on the same subject and compare different views thoroughly and see where the authors got their information from.

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  • [–] -3 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Are you a bot? You responded clearly without reading what I said.

    AI hallucinating content - sure, terrible, big issue.

    But AI just helping you find the content you want? You know, lige Google Search was supposed to do before enshittification hit.

    Also - go to your local library and check what books/topics aren't there. Because sure as shit not every library is some infinite magic space with all the books on all the topics.

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  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    TF you ask if I’m a bot for? I didn’t try to sell you the New ™️ Gemini ©️AI Patriot’s Library ®️.

    Yeah, I over-wote a response. Try this: The librarian now hands you the print books it wants you to see becaue it gets a better ad fee for that one, lets you view them online with more ads, doesn’t tell you about well-reviewed books taking a contrary view or even objectively disproving your question, etc. and you still need to subscribe, provide adult ID, and end up having a digital profile with the service.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago

    Sounds like average doctor in the USA, isn't it? And it wouldn't be too far-fetched for a librarian to prefer some books over the others.

    If I looked for "well-reviewed books" I probably wouldn't ask a librarian or generally a single fallible person, rather I would look for a repository of reviews for books.

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  • [–] 7 points 5 months ago

    We'd still need librarians to do the work at the physical libraries, and they're always going to be the better people to ask. They're not just people who like books; there is a lot of studying and training to be a librarian - I know 2, and they're both among the smartest people I know, and definitely the most well-read. I'd go to them for a book-related question before I do anything else.

    It's not as convenient as just typing something up online, but that's kinda the point. Unchecked pursual of convenience is what got us here - do the tried and true thing that takes a bit more effort, and you'll be surprised at how much better it works than the convenient option.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    AI is theft. It is designed to dumb you down and make you passive or reactionary. AI is slop and I have yet to find a real purpose for AI. People think they lost their job to AI but the top 10% is the only ones spending any money. We are not on the spread sheet. Our economies are shrinking the wealth is being concentrated to the capitalist class and now we live in a age of brazen imperialism. AI doesn't provide any meaningful value to the working class. It is a magic trick. Karl Marx was right. Chapter Thirty-Two: Historical Tendency of Capitalist Accumulation

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    • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (17 children)

    No that's kinda dumb. A digital copy of the book can serve so many people compared to one physical copy of the book. You have issues with how datacenters are used to exclusively serve capital interests.

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  • [–] 48 points 5 months ago (8 children)

    No that's kinda dumb. Libraries do so much more for communities than house physical books, and at the same time those important historical paper records and books need to be stored somewhere public and accessible. Digital records can be altered. Digital books can be altered. Physical is crucial.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (6 children)

    Libraries do so much more for communities than house physical books

    Can you give examples? (Just curious, I haven't been to one in ages)

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  • [–] 21 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Libraries do so much that it’s difficult to express without leaving something out. As Shin said, they provide a “third place,” which is worth reading about if you’re unfamiliar with the concept. Briefly, humans psychologically need places to gather outside of home and work or school. Libraries are one of the few places left in society where a person can simply exist without being charged for the privilege. That alone is incredibly important.

    Third places are essential for building real communities, and they cannot simply be replaced by billionaire-owned social media platforms. A real-life bulletin board or community events calendar does not have algorithms, sponsors, or an agenda to push. Libraries give people a physical space to connect with their neighbors and communities directly.

    They also offer free classes on everything from filing taxes to gardening, crafts, and technology. They host community groups, events, nonprofits, support groups, makerspaces, and even tool or small appliance lending programs. They allow people to expand their horizons, try new things in a risk-free environment, meet others with shared interests, or simply receive support from their community.

    Libraries also provide employment assistance, including resume building, printing services, computer access, and help navigating online applications. They regularly assist older adults trying to navigate phones, government forms, and increasingly hostile dark-pattern-filled websites. On top of that, they provide free internet access to people who either cannot afford reliable internet or do not have quality service at home. The internet, like knowledge itself, is an invaluable resource, and libraries help ensure equal access to both regardless of income.

    They are also one of the few places where a person can privately seek information they may be too embarrassed to ask about openly or search for from a personally identifiable device. That privacy matters.

    Libraries preserve local archives, history, and community knowledge as well. Keeping those archives public and physically accessible matters because physical records cannot be quietly altered or erased as easily as digital information can.

    They are also among the few remaining safe and quiet public spaces for children. Libraries encourage literacy from an early age and provide access to books, ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music, and research databases that would otherwise cost individuals hundreds or thousands of dollars. They give curious people of any age the ability to learn, explore, and broaden their horizons. And despite what some people assume, not all knowledge exists online.

    Even looking strictly at economics, libraries save communities money constantly. Instead of every individual person needing to buy every book, tool, printer, subscription, or educational resource themselves, the costs are shared publicly and everyone benefits. The money invested into libraries returns to communities many times over through education, employment assistance, literacy, civic participation, and even public health outcomes.

    But beyond all measurable benefits, libraries make communities feel human. They are one of the last institutions built around the idea that access to knowledge should not depend on income. They create places where curiosity, learning, creativity, and simply existing peacefully are treated as worthwhile on their own.

    Axing libraries to save a few pennies is not fiscal responsibility. It is a death knell for the community itself.

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  • [–] -1 points 5 months ago

    I didn't say I was against libraries. I just said physical media is subpar compared to digital media. I can give all my friends a digital copy of a book, while still having a copy of it, physical can't beat that.

    And yes libraries are great, not what I'm debating.

    And so can physical books be changed, heard of editions and reprints? A physical book is only as good as what's kept in circulation

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  • [+] 11 points 5 months ago (2 children)
    [deleted]
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    • [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    Looks like a DJ Shadow video clip.

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    [–] 0 points 5 months ago* (4 children)

    Facebook tier meme

    Why are you on tiktok if you hate datacenters?

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Why be so negative? There’s plenty of that everywhere nowadays.

    • This post is currently the #3 post for the week on this channel.
    • I’m on TikTok because it has very large liberal ecosystem.

    Hope you have a great week! 😃

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  • [–] -3 points 5 months ago* (2 children)

    Tiktok runs from a datacenter.

    You're the one spreading negativity. I work at a datacenter and I'm sick of this misinformation and hypocrisy.

    Oddly enough, the people who are complaining the loudest about datacenters are the same people who are terminally online and would suffer mental breakdowns if we "stopped funding datacenters".

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    • [+] -3 points 5 months ago (4 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 20 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Mr Gotcha

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  • [+] -6 points 5 months ago (1 child)
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  • [–] 8 points 5 months ago

    Your initial comment describing the act of denigrating data centers via the use of services hosted in data centers as "ironic" is amusingly similar to the supposed tactics of the man in the well. Instead of engaging in any real discussion of the subject at hand, you--like Mr. Gotcha--prefer to engage in rhetorical point-scoring via a facile attempt to dismiss the OP's message by suggesting it contradicts itself. It was dismissive and, as you admit, unnecessary (hence "i digress). But I thought you were just trying to be funny.

    I was quite surprised to find that, in response to my similarly humorous and dismissive reply, you chose to lament a lack of nuance. Did you expect a dissertation in response to that weak fart of a comment? You leave a "gotcha" comment, get a "gotcha" response, and you now you take issue? 🤦🏻

    I suggest we both do what you should have done in the first place: laugh it off and move on. I'm sure each of us have more fun things to do than... whatever this little interaction was.

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    • [–] -1 points 4 months ago

    Wtf are you saying?! I have 2 libraries and there arent many people in it. Because reading on tablet or pc is much more simple.

    Most people dont want Libraries anymore because technology progressed, its digital now!!!

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