Put the brakes on Big Tech
I read with interest the recent commentary by Terry Fitzpatrick, “The Most Important Energy Issue Facing Pennsylvania” about a looming regional power shortage. He orients the op-ed towards ways to increase energy production in this region. But I wonder if there can also be a discussion about how this precious energy is being used.
Fitzpatrick uses the term “keep the lights on,” but actually lighting uses very little power anymore. A huge demand for electricity comes from Big Tech. Much of this could be curtailed.
Big Tech enticed people to use the “cloud” to store their photos, information etc. The “cloud” sounds pleasant, but the reality is massive server farms that use a tremendous amount of energy not just for the computer banks, but also for the cooling that they require. They make money charging for storage, and also from using this data in other ways. But both individuals and businesses could use their own external storage devices that they only pay for once, allowing them to retain control of their information and use far less energy.
Fitzpatrick mentions “data centers that power artificial intelligence.” Training just one algorithm – the decision making process that computers use – for AI uses as much energy as a car uses in its lifetime. This large use of energy just continues; meanwhile, AI is poised to wipe out thousands of well-paying jobs while also making decisions that really should be left to human beings.
Big Tech pulls people in with convenience and entertainment, but let’s look at some of the results. They created highly addictive social media that harms our children and divides our communities. Hackers started out just stealing our identity, but now they cripple hospitals, water systems and local governments and force them to pay a “ransom.” The Washington County government was recently forced to use tax dollars for this purpose.
It’s obvious that hackers will move to larger targets in the future. What happens when they take over a power grid? These problems will only escalate. And there are already many warnings about the dangers of widespread AI use.
The time has come to put the brakes on Big Tech, and think about what the consequences will be before we implement more of their schemes. They use too much energy, and the results are too often very destructive for our society.
John Bogaard
Houston