I already knew that AI technologies need a lot of data centers, and that more and more of them are being built every year. However, I didn’t realize the full extent of their impact on our daily lives.
It may be because few people and the media talk about this problem.
I actually watched a few videos on YouTube about this, and it’s eye-opening to see how much strain these centers put on the environment and local communities.
It’s not just an issue in Chile; it’s likely affecting many places around the world.
One thing I learned is that these facilities require a massive amount of electricity and water. Actually I didn’t even know that water is indispensable when building the data centers. They use the water to cool down the computers and prevent hundreds of servers from overheating..
What I think is really serious is these data centers are often built in places where people already live. This is because a large amount of water and electricity are something that humans also need to live. But in some places, droughts are getting worse every year because of global warming, so these data centers are competing with local residents for precious water used for drinking and irrigation.
On top of that, noise pollution is becoming a huge issue. People living nearby have to deal with the constant humming sound from the facilities 24/7 hours.
In the US, for example, I read that these are contentious issues in Virginia or Arizona.
新しいテクノロジーが生まれるたびに誰かが犠牲になっている
I had never imagined that the more people use AI, the more water is needed.
And I think it’s kind of ironic that as our lives become more convenient thanks to new technologies, they often come at a high cost to the environment or to people somewhere else in the world.
When it comes to data centers, it seems like once one is built, more and more facilities keep being added every year. That’s something I learned from the videos I watched.
In the U.S., many states are trying to attract big tech companies like Google and Microsoft by offering tax incentives so they will build data centers there.
My guess is that some poorer states in the U.S. that don’t have many profitable industries are hoping to boost their economy by attracting tech companies and allowing them to build data centers.
Basically, attracting large corporations is usually expected to increase job opportunities in a region. But unlike factories, data centers don’t create that many jobs, so the benefits for local communities can be quite limited.
I was also looking into the situation here in Japan, and I was surprised to find that about 80% of our data centers are concentrated in urban areas like Tokyo and Osaka.
Experts are really concerned about this because of our high risk of earthquakes.
Actually, they say Tokyo could be hit by a major earthquake sometime in the next few decades.
If a major disaster hits one of those cities, it could paralyze the country’s entire digital infrastructure. Some people say that AI could take our jobs, or even become a threat to humanity if it goes out of control.
But when I think about issues like this, I feel that the bigger problem might actually be humans. We’re the ones using AI, and in the process, we could end up damaging the environment ourselves.
Nowadays, AI does everything. But I feel like people are starting to miss the human touch. For example, when you call a customer service center, you're often greeted by an AI voice. It’s convenient for simple questions. But I often find myself wishing for a human operator when I have a complex issue. But since labor shortages are getting so bad across almost every industry, we’re probably going to see even more human jobs replaced by AI. I’ve realized that when I’m just trying to get a task done on my own, AI is incredibly convenient. But when it comes to actually communicating or connecting with someone, I still find myself wanting a human.
That being said, I’m not against new technologies. Our lives have definitely improved because of things like the internet and social media. But when it comes to AI, I’m not sure if its development is always beneficial for humans. These days, I see so many AI-generated photos, videos, and ideas on social media almost every day.
When I come across interesting content, I often doubt it at first, because there are so many fake videos and images going around.
Actually, the other day, I saw some beautiful photos on X. They looked like wedding photos of Zendaya and Tom Holland. I really liked them—they were so impressive that I even reposted them to share with my followers. But later, I found out that all of the photos were created by AI. I was honestly shocked. I think millions of people were probably fooled, because they looked so real. Until then, I had been confident that I would never be tricked by AI-generated content—but I was !!! And at the same time, it made me feel a bit scared about today’s society, where AI-generated content is everywhere.
