The AI curse
NEW YORK — In a county in northern Virginia, a family’s electricity bill has doubled. A few miles away, a windowless building the size of a shopping mall hums through the night—yet another AI data center, consuming more power than the town it was built beside. The dispute will be conducted in the language of rate structures, zoning variances, and transmission corridors. But a non-technical…
In northern Virginia, a county experienced a doubling of electricity bills. Simultaneously, a large, windowless structure resembling a shopping mall was consuming a considerable amount of power. The conflict surrounding this development will be resolved using legal terms such as rate structures, zoning variances, and transmission corridors.
However, the underlying political question is whether the county's residents are still essential to those who created the building. This issue is not exclusive to AI; it delves into the fundamental agreement that sustains modern democracy.
Democracy was not a gift bestowed upon the masses by the elite. Instead, constitutions and elections serve as the tangible mechanisms that uphold limited government. But why did those in power accept these limitations in the first place? Rights were achieved through the efforts of workers, women, soldiers, dissidents, and movements that made exclusion politically perilous, and the reliance on material resources contributed to the longevity of these victories.
When contemporary states required vast numbers of ordinary individuals, rather than a select warrior class, they sought out recruits, taxes, and sacrifices.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- The AI curse koreatimes.co.kr
