u/Arayt42

hey y'all. FYI for those of you who I am gonna respond to for prev posts, I still am, just pretty low energy atm. One of my family members sent this my way and I thought it might be interesting for people to see what anti-ai, anti-datacenter real-world organizers actually think, and hear from people who live where a hyperscale data center is being proposed. It's long bc podcast but I found it interesting, esp. if you're interested in joining these movements or understanding them! It rambles a bit bc no one here is a corporate marketer lol but it's pretty cool to hear from communities impacted by these developments. (Also, the East Vincent town halls about this get absolutely nuts, if you want to put them on on the background. They've got armed cops and frequently escort State Rep Katie Muth out of the meetings bc they say she's being too loud. The drama is insane)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1QcQcjgzpg

hi. So, I keep seeing people here saying that the AI environmental argument has been debunked, but when I try to bring studies, reports, and info so those people can show me their debunks, I get blocked lol. So I guess I'm trying to see how these sources and reports and this data is wrong.

I've had these for a while. I would actually, genuinely like to see these debunked credibly (i.e. with research from other scientists and academics) and I straight up have not. I kinda figured if people have debunked the environmental argument it should be easy for them to explain how these arguments have been debunked in the context of actual real-world assessments and research. Please don't feel like you have to respond to all of these if you don't want to. Also if you just want to discuss casually as well feel free, but I have a busy day today so I might take several hours to respond to you. I will though! Just might take a bit. Also if anyone has any other research on the environmental impacts of AI I'd appreciate you sharing them with me, whether they support my viewpoint or not!

https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117 This is an article from MIT News discussing CO2 generation, power demand, water usage, and indirect impacts from the increased demand for chips and electronic equipment we see as part of the datacenter rush. Here is the actual study done by researchers of MIT: https://mit-genai.pubpub.org/pub/8ulgrckc/release/2

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/ai-has-environmental-problem-heres-what-world-can-do-about Here is a summary from UNEP regarding environmental impacts by AI datacenters. Note the increased ewaste that includes mercury and lead, the increased power demand, the massive number of datacenters (approx 8m) that exist today, and potential recommendations for mitigating the environmental fallout from this tech.

From East Carolina University, here is a set of guidelines and data from 2019 regarding the CO2 emissions and other impacts created from AI training and technology. https://libguides.ecu.edu/c.php?g=1395131&p=10318505

Here is a guide from the NEA regarding environmental concerns, specifically energy and emissions, surrounding AI: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/environmental-impact-ai

From PBS, here is a discussion regarding how weakening environmental protections in the US will open doors to even less environmentally-conscious AI constructions: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-growing-environmental-impact-of-ai-data-centers-energy-demands

From the GAO: yet ANOTHER discussion about the impact of AI on the environment and on power consumption: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107172

Here is an article from the Harvard Business Review discussing the inequitable environmental impacts of AI datacenters: https://hbr.org/2024/07/the-uneven-distribution-of-ais-environmental-impacts

A news article from Cornell regarding increases in carbon emissions and increases in water drainage caused by expanding AI datacenter development: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2025/11/roadmap-shows-environmental-impact-ai-data-center-boom

Here's an article from Smithsonian also regarding this issue: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/with-ai-on-the-rise-what-will-be-the-environmental-impacts-of-data-centers-180987379/