Are There Risks in the Race for AI Dominance?

The race for dominance in artificial intelligence (AI) has spurred some concerns around issues like public safety and resource scarcity.

The Energy Race: "America's ability to compete in the global artificial intelligence race may depend less on computing power and more on the energy required to sustain it," according to Fox Business (Lean Right bias). The article explained that data centers needed for AI will likely be built in places like Texas, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania due to the rich supply of natural gas, which "is projected to meet 60% of the power demand growth driven by AI and data centers." Some outlets in the center and the right, instead of framing the AI race around "winning" against China, have highlighted concerns around electricity scarcity. 

Blaze Media (Right) focused on warnings from Glenn Beck (Right) saying "AI buildout is already straining energy infrastructure and could soon trigger higher prices, job losses, and rolling blackouts for everyday Americans." Beck insisted that "this is going to be the Achilles' heel of this administration," while also saying "it will only be worse with a Democratic administration," explaining "this will be an absolute nightmare for all politicians." Forbes (Center) echoed some of Beck's concerns around load growth on the electrical grid, explaining that the issue involves the "entire supply chain" including "the workforce, and engineers, who don't just fall out of trees because you want them." Forbes, unlike the Blaze Media article, also mentioned "climate commitments" as part of the looming challenge.

Growth Over Safety: Some outlets on the left, like The Guardian (Left) focused more on President Donald Trump's executive order curbing state-level AI regulations, saying "the tech industry got what it paid Trump for." The article highlighted the "tech industry's embrace of Trump," saying this embrace which "included CEOs presenting him with gifts, attending dinners at Mar-a-Lago and donating to the construction of a new White House ballroom, may be paying dividends." The message from the White House, according to the Guardian, "is that growth is more important to the administration than safety." 

Other outlets, like The Verge (Lean Left), highlighted concerns around possible links between data centers and an increase in cancer and miscarriages. The article focused on Amazon owned data centers in Oregon, that according to some experts, is causing an "alarmingly high concentration of nitrates in the drinking water." The article explained that "the data centers suck up tens of millions of gallons of water from the aquifer each year to cool their computer equipment, which then gets funneled to the Port's wastewater system" resulting in "more nitrate-laden wastewater" being pumped onto area farms and making its way into the aquifer. Rolling Stone (Left) was the first to report on the alleged nitrate induced cancer concerns, highlighting Jim Doherty's (R-OR) fight to expose the "water crisis," comparing it to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.      

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