Posted by @RealCraftVideos on X
It’s a damned if you do and damned if you don’t situation. If America falls behind in the AI race, that could turn out very badly for the country. Whoever leads AI will have a massive advantage in economics, defense, surveillance, cyber warfare, and global influence.
But at the same time, people living near these data centers have every right to demand transparency. Power use, water use, noise, environmental impact, and local infrastructure strain are not small issues.
So yes, we need to compete hard, but not blindly. Build the infrastructure, but be honest about the costs and protect the communities affected by it. I
’m sure Elon and others have already laid out the possible consequences if America is not the leader in this race. But leadership should not mean ignoring the people who have to live next door to it.
One thing people may not notice: under another president, this kind of national AI infrastructure push would probably be sold as another massive government-funded program. Trump, being Trump, is pushing private entities to fund it instead. That matters.
America needs to win the AI race, but we also need to make sure regular Americans are not left paying the hidden costs.
