{"id":69687,"date":"2026-06-05T04:26:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=69687"},"modified":"2026-06-05T04:26:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:26:44","slug":"todays-contemplation-collapse-cometh-cclxiii-were-saved-artificial-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=69687","title":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh CCLXIII&#8211;We&#8217;re Saved! Artificial Intelligence."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pd pe pf pg ph\">\n<div class=\"g i\">\n<div class=\"ac f mo os ot ou\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Today\u2019s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh CCLXIII&#8211;We&#8217;re Saved! Artificial Intelligence.<\/h1>\n<p id=\"395a\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh vi vj vk vl vm vn vo vp vq vr vs vt vu vv vw vx vy vz wa wb pd dc\" style=\"text-align: left;\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">One of the latest and greatest techno-fixes to our ecological overshoot predicament and its myriad of symptom predicaments\u2013artificial intelligence (AI)\u2013is another in a growing list of oxymoronic \u201csolutions\u201d, doing the exact opposite of \u201csaving\u201d our societies and planet. Our various \u201csolutionists\u201d are shouting from the rooftops incessantly about the benefits and wonders of AI. From \u201csustainable\u201d resource management to \u201cfixing\u201d climate change to contributing trillions of dollars to the global economy, AI will bring prosperity and well-being to all with no negative impacts upon our environment; for example, see:\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/big-tech-says-generative-ai-will-save-the-planet-it-doesnt-offer-much-proof\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.desmog.com\/2026\/02\/17\/big-tech-accused-of-ai-greenwashing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/aimagazine.com\/news\/google-alleviating-climate-change-impacts-physics-ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/company-news\/outreach-and-initiatives\/sustainability\/report-ai-sustainability-google-cop28\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.online.uc.edu\/blog\/artificial-intelligence-ai-benefits.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-019-14108-y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/unglobalcompact.org\/compactjournal\/artificial-intelligence-and-sustainable-development-goals-operationalizing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/17\/17\/8049\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/humansintheloop.org\/ai-sustainability-pioneering-a-greener-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>, and\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.futureofbeinghuman.com\/p\/the-double-or-nothing-bet-on-ai-fixing-the-climate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wc wd we\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:640\/format:webp\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 640w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:720\/format:webp\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 720w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:750\/format:webp\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 750w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:786\/format:webp\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 786w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:828\/format:webp\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 828w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:1100\/format:webp\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 1100w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:626\/format:webp\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 626w\" type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 313px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:640\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 640w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:720\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 720w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:750\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 750w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:786\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 786w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:828\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 828w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:1100\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 1100w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:626\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png 626w\" sizes=\"(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 313px\" data-testid=\"og\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"f ts wl j aligncenter\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:313\/0*yO0SUepbGXRhO8jN.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"313\" height=\"312\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<h6 class=\"wf wg wh wi wj wk wc wd paragraph-image\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"http:\/\/humansintheloop.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">humansintheloop.org<\/a><\/h6>\n<p data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\n<p id=\"0b9e\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" style=\"text-align: left;\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">If only the universe worked in the manner that the masses are told it does by the elite and those that profit from such technologies. The marketing goes something like this: not only is perpetual growth a God-given certainty but with the help of AI human ingenuity and innovativeness will overcome finite resource concerns and provide humanity with everything it wants and needs. To infinity, and beyond!<\/p>\n<p id=\"7d6c\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" style=\"text-align: left;\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I will grant the assertion that AI is disruptive as many of its cheerleaders suggest but not, I think, in the sense \u201cfuturists\u201d claim. The following analysis via my techno-fix\/salvation questionnaire argues that it is perhaps one of the most resource hungry endeavours to come along in a long time\u2013especially in terms of energy\u2013exacerbating significantly our predicaments, and not the messiah many have been holding their breath for.<\/p>\n<p class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" style=\"text-align: left;\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"f ts wl j aligncenter\" style=\"text-align: center; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:700\/0*0xFgibsy1UVE-uL1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" \/><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wf wg wh wi wj wk wc wd paragraph-image\"><figcaption class=\"wm ek wn wc wd wo wp cx b dr ds ah\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5kbo8pUDcHQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Monty Python\u2019s The Life of Brian<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"ebf9\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" style=\"text-align: left;\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">For those unfamiliar with my questionnaire, I designed it as a critical evaluation tool that attempts to cut through the marketing hype around \u201csolutions\u201d\u2013particularly technological ones\u2013and assesses whether the \u201cfix\u201d actually addresses the ecological and social crises we have led ourselves into, or whether it serves merely to extend the systems that are causing our issues and exacerbating them (see:\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=69566\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Website<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@stevebull-4168\/todays-contemplation-collapse-cometh-ccxxix-we-re-saved-pulling-it-together-so-far-4acc0c4ad59c\" rel=\"noopener\" data-discover=\"true\">Medium<\/a>\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/stevebull.substack.com\/p\/todays-contemplation-collapse-cometh-c30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Substack<\/a>). It challenges the face value promises by probing four dimensions:<br \/>\n1.\u00a0<em class=\"xa\">Narrative<\/em>: Is the proposal being honest about the costs, or is it being selective and only highlighting supposed benefits while ignoring such phenomena as rebound effects or its overall addition to material throughput?<br \/>\n2.\u00a0<em class=\"xa\">Biogeophysical reality<\/em>: What is revealed about energy return, waste, material demands, and effects upon planetary boundaries when a full lifecycle accounting beyond just carbon is performed?<br \/>\n3.\u00a0<em class=\"xa\">Viability<\/em>: Can the \u201csolution\u201d come about or be maintained without externalised costs, speculative future \u201cbreakthroughs\u201d, and\/or significant hidden subsidies?<br \/>\n4.\u00a0<em class=\"xa\">Social aspects<\/em>: Who are the beneficiaries of the proposal, whose power is being reinforced, and is it challenging the perpetual growth paradigm or simply providing it with more \u201cfuel\u201d?<\/p>\n<p id=\"ab0d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" style=\"text-align: left;\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I like to believe this analytical questionnaire helps to separate what might be a genuine and transformative project from one that relies upon material- and energy-intensive \u201cfixes\u201d which end up being leveraged to reinforce status quo power and wealth structures, and generate an exacerbation of our ecological overshoot predicament and its various symptom predicaments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"g i ge xb xc xd\" role=\"separator\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pd pe pf pg ph\">\n<div class=\"g i\">\n<div class=\"ac f mo os ot ou\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<figure class=\"wf wg wh wi wj wk wc wd paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"wc wd xi\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:640\/format:webp\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 640w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:720\/format:webp\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 720w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:750\/format:webp\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 750w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:786\/format:webp\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 786w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:828\/format:webp\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 828w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:1100\/format:webp\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 1100w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:408\/format:webp\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 408w\" type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"auto, (min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 204px\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:640\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 640w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:720\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 720w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:750\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 750w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:786\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 786w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:828\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 828w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:1100\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 1100w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:408\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png 408w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 204px\" data-testid=\"og\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"f ts wl j aligncenter\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/v2\/resize:fit:204\/0*hY95Ydi1CDtKbDg5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"66\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"wm ek wn wc wd wo wp cx b dr ds ah\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/buymeacoffee.com\/olduvai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">CLICK HERE<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"e19e\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">If you\u2019re new to my writing, check out\u00a0<\/strong><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?p=69137\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">this overview<\/strong><\/a><strong class=\"vg ev\">.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"g i ge xb xc xd\" role=\"separator\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pd pe pf pg ph\">\n<div class=\"g i\">\n<div class=\"ac f mo os ot ou\">\n<p id=\"1617\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Let\u2019s now take a look through this analytical lens and see what the evidence suggests about AI and its potential for achieving that long promised holy grail of true human sustainability.<\/p>\n<p id=\"64a3\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><em class=\"xa\">Narrative<\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"e530\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Drawbacks vs. benefits<br \/>\n<\/strong>The dominant narrative from industry and many governments highlights AI\u2019s potential to solve complex problems \u2014 accelerating drug discovery, optimising energy grids, and improving climate modelling. Major environmental and social costs are acknowledged only in passing, then quickly reframed as engineering problems on the cusp of being solved (\u201cmore efficient chips\u201d, \u201ccarbon\u2011free data centres by 2030\u201d). The actual doubling time of data centre energy demand, the strain on water resources, the proliferation of e\u2011waste, and the de-skilling of cognitive labour are routinely downplayed. It is true that some narrow AI applications \u2014 such as DeepMind\u2019s AlphaFold for protein structure prediction \u2014 deliver genuine scientific insight, but these isolated successes do not salvage the overall techno-fix nor remotely justify the infrastructure\u2019s scale. They are the exceptions that prove the rule.<\/p>\n<p id=\"bc70\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Replacement or addition<br \/>\n<\/strong>AI is almost never presented as a replacement for a destructive technology with a planned phase\u2011out; it is overwhelmingly an addition to total human throughput. In most sectors AI is layered on top of existing material and energy flows: AI\u2011optimised logistics still moves goods in diesel trucks, AI\u2011enhanced oil exploration accelerates fossil fuel extraction, generative AI bloats consumer demand for more digital content and devices. The Jevons paradox is operating at full force \u2014 efficiency gains are swamped by an explosion in usage.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a7c1\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Small\u2011scale benefits applied to a global scale<br \/>\n<\/strong>Pilot projects that show energy or material savings in a narrow domain (e.g., a 15 % reduction in cooling energy for one Google data centre) are routinely extrapolated to the entire system, ignoring the colossal embedded and induced costs of building the global AI infrastructure in the first place. There is no honest accounting that demonstrates a net planetary benefit when AI\u2019s full lifecycle is scaled to billions of users and trillions of inferences.<\/p>\n<p id=\"da02\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><em class=\"xa\">Biogeophysical Reality<\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"bdf4\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Lifecycle stages<br \/>\n<\/strong>An honest lifecycle analysis from cradle to grave is missing from public discourse and rarely fully disclosed by developers:<br \/>\n\u00b7 Raw material extraction: Copper, lithium, cobalt, rare earths, high\u2011purity quartz, and ultra\u2011pure water for semiconductor fabrication.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Manufacturing: GPU\/TPU production involves extreme energy and chemical intensity; chip fabs are among the most resource\u2011hungry facilities on Earth.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Transportation: Global supply chains for components, servers, and cooling equipment.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Operation: Electricity for training runs (e.g., a single large model can emit hundreds of tonnes CO\u2082e) and, far more significantly, inference serving billions of queries daily; water consumption for evaporative cooling and humidification.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Maintenance: Constant hardware refresh cycles (2\u20114 years) driven by performance demands.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Byproduct disposal: Toxic solvents, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants from semiconductor manufacturing.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Decommissioning: Decommissioned servers and networking gear.<br \/>\n\u00b7 End\u2011life disposal: Low recycling rates for complex electronics; most end up in informal e\u2011waste streams.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Associated infrastructure: Fibre networks, subsea cables, backup diesel generators, grid expansions, new power plants (often fossil gas or even coal plants re\u2011opened to meet data centre loads).<\/p>\n<p id=\"b5d0\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">No public document offers a full, independent, peer\u2011reviewed lifecycle footprint for the current AI system. Authoritative partial estimates \u2014 such as the\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/energy-and-ai\/executive-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">IEA\u2019s data centre energy projections<\/a>,\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jmlr.org\/papers\/volume24\/23-0069\/23-0069.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Luccioni et al.\u2019s work on operational emissions<\/a>, or the\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/ewastemonitor.info\/the-global-e-waste-monitor-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">UN\u2019s Global E\u2011waste Monitor<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 already point to impacts far larger than industry narratives suggest.<\/p>\n<p id=\"fad4\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Net energy return<br \/>\n<\/strong>AI is a net energy sink, not an energy source. For an energy technology to support societal maintenance the minimum EROI considered necessary is ~10\u201314:1, and about 3:1 for basic survival functions. Admittedly, EROI is a metric designed for energy\u2011supply technologies, not information services. Yet the same logic applies: a society can only afford to invest large amounts of energy into a tool if that tool ultimately reduces the total primary energy required to maintain the society. AI, by every credible estimate, does the opposite \u2014 it consumes high\u2011quality electricity to produce digital goods whose net effect is to grow overall energy demand, making it a net drain on the finite energy surplus available for everything else.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8d23\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">As a pure service technology, AI yields useful information work, but when comparing the society\u2011wide energy investment (building and running the entire hardware\/software stack) against the energy savings it genuinely displaces, the ratio is almost certainly well below 3:1, and likely substantially below 1:1 in many applications. In other words, we are burning more energy to accomplish tasks that were previously done with less energy, or generating new tasks that did not exist before.<\/p>\n<p id=\"f979\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Finite materials and supply bottlenecks<br \/>\n<\/strong>AI is critically dependent on high\u2011end GPUs and high\u2011bandwidth memory (HBM). The supply chain is already strained: extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography depends on a single supplier (ASML), advanced packaging faces capacity limits, and rare earth elements for magnets and capacitors are subject to geopolitical chokepoints. Copper for power distribution and data centre construction is encountering declining ore grades. These are not smoothly scalable resources; they show classic patterns of diminishing returns and increasing extraction costs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"50ef\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Ecological blind spots beyond carbon<br \/>\n<\/strong>Most \u201cgreen AI\u201d talk focuses exclusively on CO\u2082 or electricity and ignores:<br \/>\n\u00b7 Freshwater use: Data centres already compete with agriculture and drinking water in water\u2011stressed regions.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Biodiversity loss: Mining expansion for AI hardware directly destroys habitat.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Land\u2011use change: Data centre campuses consume large areas, often in arid or semi\u2011arid ecosystems.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Novel entities: Chemical pollution from semiconductor fabrication (PFAS, glycols, heavy metals) is unquantified at industry scale.<br \/>\n\u00b7 Biogeochemical flows: Nitrogen and phosphorus discharges from manufacturing zones are rarely tallied.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a71c\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The assessments that are commonly discussed in public are firmly stuck in carbon tunnel vision.<\/p>\n<p id=\"32a4\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Waste and planetary sinks<br \/>\n<\/strong>AI produces a growing mountain of toxic electronic waste with abysmal recycling rates (well under 25 % for rare metals). Planned obsolescence in the hyperscale world is rapid, creating long\u2011term liabilities: leaching of heavy metals into groundwater, open burning of e\u2011waste in informal economies, and loss of critical materials. The planetary sinks for electronic waste are already overloaded, and the chemical absorption capacity of ecosystems near manufacturing clusters is similarly exceeded.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d581\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><em class=\"xa\">Viability<\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"7381\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Subsidies, externalised costs, loan guarantees<br \/>\n<\/strong>Current AI expansion would collapse overnight without massive externalised costs. The physical infrastructure piggybacks on publicly funded energy grids, water systems, and transportation networks that are not priced to reflect their true environmental or social cost. Cloud providers secure subsidised electricity rates, tax breaks for data centre construction, and implicit state guarantees for the stable legal and geopolitical environment they require. Venture capital and equity markets fund AI on the expectation of future monopoly rents, not current profitability; the industry as a whole is burning hundreds of billions of dollars a year with no near\u2011term path to break\u2011even for many foundational services.<\/p>\n<p id=\"c6c3\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">New complex infrastructure<br \/>\n<\/strong>AI demands an entirely new, resource\u2011intensive global infrastructure layer: hyperscale data centres (each consuming as much electricity as a small city), dedicated high\u2011voltage transmission lines, upgraded backbones, and an enormous increase in electrical generation capacity. This is not a lightweight overlay \u2014 it is a material\u2011heavy, fast\u2011growing parallel system.<\/p>\n<p id=\"99ef\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Dependence on \u201cbreakthrough\u201d technologies<br \/>\n<\/strong>The promise that AI\u2019s environmental footprint will be solved rests on things that do not yet exist at scale: commercially viable fusion power, room\u2011temperature superconductors, ultra\u2011low\u2011power neuromorphic chips, or 100% circular semiconductor recycling. Today\u2019s efficiency improvements are incremental and continuously overwhelmed by demand growth. AI\u2019s viability as a \u201csolution\u201d is thus contingent on breakthroughs that remain speculative.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3374\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><em class=\"xa\">Social Aspects<\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"5c5c\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Infinite Growth Enabler<br \/>\n<\/strong>AI is the ultimate enabler of the infinite economic growth paradigm. It is sold as a tool that will lift productivity growth rates indefinitely, creating new markets, new product categories, and demand for evermore computation. It does not challenge the growth model; it accelerates it by orders of magnitude while masking the physical limits.<\/p>\n<p id=\"b5ad\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Promoters and Profiteers<br \/>\n<\/strong>The primary promoters are a handful of massive technology corporations (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Nvidia) and their billionaire investors, along with governments who see AI as a source of geopolitical advantage. Profits concentrate at the apex of the hardware and cloud stack. Even as \u201copen\u2011source\u201d models appear, the capital requirements for training frontier models ensure that power remains in the hands of those who control the hardware.<\/p>\n<p id=\"269d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Concentration of Wealth and Power<br \/>\n<\/strong>AI is structurally concentrating wealth and power. It automates cognitive and creative labour in ways that tend to commodify skills, suppress wages, and concentrate intellectual property rights. The immense upfront capital cost creates a moat that entrenches incumbents. There is a lively discourse around \u201cAI for everyone\u201d, but the underlying ownership of the means of compute remains hyper\u2011concentrated.<\/p>\n<p id=\"edaf\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Eminent Domain and Dispossession<br \/>\n<\/strong>Increasingly, the physical footprint of AI is being carved out through raw state\u2011corporate force. In multiple jurisdictions, eminent domain is being wielded to seize private homes, small farms, and community land to make way for hyperscale data centre campuses. Residents \u2014 disproportionately from lower\u2011income or rural communities \u2014 are removed with minimal compensation and zero meaningful consent, their objections overridden by the imperative of \u201cdigital infrastructure.\u201d This dispossession shatters local social fabrics, extinguishes generational homes, and redirects public resources (grid connections, water, tax abatements) toward a handful of global technology firms. It is a stark illustration of how AI, far from distributing power, extends a form of extractive colonialism into the twenty\u2011first century, using the machinery of the state to subordinate human habitation to server racks.<\/p>\n<p id=\"78b3\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Fragile Global Supply Chains<br \/>\n<\/strong>AI requires the most globalised, centralised, and fragile supply chain imaginable: Taiwan\u2011based advanced fabs, rare earths from specific mines, assembly in a handful of Asian sites, data centres owned by US tech giants, and undersea cables connecting a few major hubs. It is the opposite of relocalisation and community resilience. A disruption in any node (geopolitical, seismic, pandemic) cascades globally.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9f58\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Shutting Down Alternatives<br \/>\n<\/strong>AI is routinely presented as the only realistic path to solving climate change, resource scarcity, and economic stagnation within the current system of continued growth \u2014 thereby side\u2011lining or actively delegitimising degrowth, sufficiency, relocalisation, and simplification. When critics point out the ecological impossibility of exponential AI expansion, the standard reply is to accelerate technological innovation, not to question the underlying commitment to growth. This narrows the Overton window, framing deeper systemic change as either unnecessary or impossible.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7df2\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh vj vk vl vn vo vp vr vs vt vv vw vx vz wa xj wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Conclusion<br \/>\n<\/strong>When all is said and done, the notion that AI is a \u201csaviour\u201d to help humanity achieve ecological sustainability while ensuring economic prosperity for all is as far removed from reality as one can imagine. The chasm between what cheerleaders of this technology repeatedly promise and what is actually happening is as vast as the growth they insist will follow. Many promoters genuinely believe in AI\u2019s promise; what they fail to see is the structural logic of a system that must turn any efficiency gain into a new frontier for extraction \u2014 a blindness that does not make them conspirators, but makes their project no less dangerous.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5fde\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">It boggles my mind that the elite profitting from this latest and greatest undertaking (scam?) are finding as many followers as they do. But perhaps this support is not as widespread as some believe. It may be simply the result of marketing flooding the airwaves with stories of imminent prosperity to help keep the eyes of the masses averted from the pillaging of national treasuries (including natural treasuries) while disasters build. There does seem to be increasing pushback against the entire AI rollout and expansion so maybe the increase in stories of its benefits is the counterpoint being crafted by its boosters (grifters?) to keep the party going for as long as they can and hope another salvation techno-fix can come along to help keep their speculative ventures (Ponzi schemes?) afloat for another quarter or two\u2026<\/p>\n<p id=\"f412\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Given the full weight of the analysis above, the potential for AI to achieve sustainable resource management, fix climate change, or deliver true human sustainability is, in a word, negligible \u2014 and in practical terms, actively negative.<\/p>\n<p id=\"da4e\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">This is not because AI lacks any useful narrow capability. It can, in controlled contexts, optimise a supply route, improve a weather model, or fold a protein. But the techno-fix questionnaire reveals why these isolated successes are irrelevant to the larger question. The AI system as a whole is a net addition to material and energy throughput, not a replacement for destructive technologies. Its life\u2011cycle demands \u2014 from mining rare earths to cooling hyperscale data centres \u2014 are staggering and are accelerating the breaching of multiple planetary boundaries well beyond carbon. Its economic viability rests entirely on externalised costs, subsidies, and speculative capital, not on genuine value creation that reduces ecological pressure.<\/p>\n<p id=\"912c\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Most decisively, AI does not challenge the infinite growth paradigm; it is its most powerful engine. Every so\u2011called efficiency gain is swallowed by the Jevons paradox, generating new demand, new markets, and new forms of extraction. Far from relocalising economies or distributing power, AI concentrates wealth, seizes land via eminent domain, and delegitimises the very sufficiency and degrowth pathways that might actually address overshoot.<\/p>\n<p id=\"89f8\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In short, AI is being deployed as a substitute for the political and economic changes required for genuine sustainability \u2014 a dazzling distraction that keeps the extractive machinery running. The long\u2011promised holy grail remains a mirage; the chalice is an energy\u2011hungry server farm, and drinking from it only deepens the thirst.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"g i ge xb xc xd\" role=\"separator\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pd pe pf pg ph\">\n<div class=\"g i\">\n<div class=\"ac f mo os ot ou\">\n<p id=\"0125\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Recent and Relevant Articles of Interest:<\/p>\n<p id=\"141e\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.404media.co\/ai-translations-are-adding-hallucinations-to-wikipedia-articles\/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">AI Translations Are Adding \u2018Hallucinations\u2019 to Wikipedia Articles<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"7115\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloodinthemachine.com\/p\/ai-firms-and-their-us-military-ties\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">AI firms and their US military ties, \u201ca whole civilization will die tonight\u201d edition<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"594d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/charleshughsmith.substack.com\/p\/ai-money-human-nature-and-the-problem-006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">AI, Money, Human Nature and the Problem with Problems: circularity leads to delusion<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"db0a\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/energy\/ai-hype-meets-hardware-crunch-us-power-equipment-market-eyes-65-billion-boom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">AI Hype Meets Hardware Crunch As US Power Equipment Market Eyes $65 Billion Boom | ZeroHedge<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"fe21\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/neuburger.substack.com\/p\/dissent-and-ai-the-future-before\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Dissent and AI: The Future Before Us Clear<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"a048\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/charleshughsmith.substack.com\/p\/are-inequality-ai-and-digital-life\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Are Inequality, AI and Digital Life Undermining Society? Yes.<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"3648\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/stories\/2026-05-21\/inside-the-plot-to-cover-europe-with-gas-powered-ai-data-centres\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Inside the plot to cover Europe with gas-powered AI data centres \u2014 resilience<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"3ba9\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/energy\/homeowners-face-eminent-domain-bulldozers-ai-data-centers-demand-new-power\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Homeowners Face Eminent Domain Bulldozers As Data Centers Demand Ever More Power | ZeroHedge<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"f759\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globalresearch.ca\/ai-bubble-hidden-costs-data-center-boom\/5927583\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">The AI Bubble: The Hidden Costs of the Data Center Boom \u2014 Global Research<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"4d9e\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/internationalman.com\/articles\/ais-coming-reality-check-when-the-physics-finally-hits-the-hype\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">AI\u2019s Coming Reality Check: When the Physics Finally Hits the Hype<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"c682\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/thehonestsorcerer.substack.com\/p\/the-ai-takeover-has-arrived\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">The AI Takeover Has Arrived \u2014 The Honest Sorcerer<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"969d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/internationalman.com\/articles\/how-the-ai-layoff-shock-is-triggering-the-greatest-wealth-transfer-in-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">How the AI Layoff Shock Is Triggering the Greatest Wealth Transfer in History<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"47b6\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/charleshughsmith.substack.com\/p\/ai-data-centers-are-not-like-railroads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">AI Data Centers Are Not Like Railroads<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"98ac\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/goldenorder.substack.com\/p\/ai-data-centers-the-real-reason-theyre?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=post_embed&amp;utm_medium=web\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">AI Data Centers: The Real Reason They\u2019re Going Up Everywhere<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"g i ge xb xc xd\" role=\"separator\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pd pe pf pg ph\">\n<div class=\"g i\">\n<div class=\"ac f mo os ot ou\">\n<p id=\"fb0f\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">What is going to be my standard\u00a0<strong class=\"vg ev\">WARNING\/ADVICE<\/strong>\u00a0going forward and that I have reiterated in various ways before this:<\/p>\n<p id=\"0b6d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cOnly time will tell how this all unfolds but there\u2019s nothing wrong with preparing for the worst by \u2018collapsing now to avoid the rush\u2019 and pursuing self-sufficiency. By this I mean removing as many dependencies on the Matrix as is possible and making do, locally. And if one can do this without negative impacts upon our fragile ecosystems or do so while creating more resilient ecosystems, all the better.<\/p>\n<p id=\"87f0\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Building community (maybe even just household) resilience to as high a level as possible seems prudent given the uncertainties of an unpredictable future. There\u2019s no guarantee it will ensure \u2018recovery\u2019 after a significant societal stressor\/shock but it should increase the probability of it and that, perhaps, is all we can \u2018hope\u2019 for from its pursuit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"g i ge xb xc xd\" role=\"separator\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pd pe pf pg ph\">\n<div class=\"g i\">\n<div class=\"ac f mo os ot ou\">\n<p id=\"a7e5\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">If you have arrived here and get something out of my writing,\u00a0<strong class=\"vg ev\">please consider ordering the trilogy of my \u201cfictional\u201d novel series, Olduvai (PDF files; only $9.99 Canadian)<\/strong>, via my\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">website<\/a>\u00a0or the link below \u2014 the \u201cprofits\u201d of which help me to keep my internet presence alive and first book available in print (and is available via various online retailers).<\/p>\n<p id=\"4b96\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Attempting a new payment system as I am contemplating shutting down my site in the future (given the ever-increasing costs to keep it running).<\/p>\n<p id=\"c056\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">If you are interested in purchasing any of the 3 books individually or the trilogy, please try the link below indicating which book(s) you are purchasing.<\/p>\n<p id=\"f29d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Costs (Canadian dollars):<\/p>\n<p id=\"84fb\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Book 1: $2.99<\/p>\n<p id=\"372a\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Book 2: $3.89<\/p>\n<p id=\"ca39\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Book 3: $3.89<\/p>\n<p id=\"ce86\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Trilogy: $9.99<\/p>\n<p id=\"2027\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">Feel free to throw in a \u201ctip\u201d on top of the base cost if you wish; perhaps by paying in U.S. dollars instead of Canadian. Every few cents\/dollars helps\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"439a\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/paypal.me\/olduvaitrilogy?country.x=CA&amp;locale.x=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\"><strong class=\"vg ev\">https:\/\/paypal.me\/olduvaitrilogy?country.x=CA&amp;locale.x=en_US<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"2ed9\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">If you do not hear from me within 48 hours or you are having trouble with the system, please email me: olduvaitrilogy@gmail.com.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a345\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ve vf pj vg b vh wq vj vk vl wr vn vo vp ws vr vs vt wt vv vw vx wu vz wa wb pd dc\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">You can also find a variety of resources, particularly my summary notes for a handful of texts, especially William Catton\u2019s Overshoot and Joseph Tainter\u2019s Collapse of Complex Societies: see\u00a0<a class=\"aw gw\" href=\"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/?page_id=55981\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today\u2019s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh CCLXIII&#8211;We&#8217;re Saved! Artificial Intelligence. One of the latest and greatest techno-fixes to our ecological overshoot predicament and its myriad of symptom predicaments\u2013artificial intelligence (AI)\u2013is another in a growing list of oxymoronic \u201csolutions\u201d, doing the exact opposite of \u201csaving\u201d our societies and planet. Our various \u201csolutionists\u201d are shouting from the rooftops incessantly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,4,5,6,7],"tags":[15210,22093,617,14221,30370,33947],"class_list":["post-69687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economics","category-energy-2","category-environment","category-geopolitics","category-liberty","category-survival-2","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-ecological-overshoot","tag-peak-oil","tag-societal-collapse","tag-todays-contemplation","tag-todays-contemplation-collapse-cometh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69687"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69688,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69687\/revisions\/69688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/olduvai.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}