Australians are yet to see the benefits of AI and datacentres – and US midterms show they could be political kryptonite
Albanese should tread carefully as he struggles to make case for how the new technology will benefit ordinary voters Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast When will Australia see the benefits of the AI and datacentre boom? So far, all we’ve seen is the possibility of changes to copyright which would hurt Australian creatives , special rules about power and water use, and…
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) warns that datacentres are contributing to inflationary pressures, which may result in a higher interest rate. The governor of the RBA, Michele Bullock, indicated that some pain is necessary now to prevent greater future issues. However, it remains unclear when the positive effects of AI and datacentres will materialize.
The recent US midterms have shown that these technologies are becoming political kryptonite, with half of Americans opposing datacentres near their homes and a significant portion of voters citing AI and datacentres as crucial factors in the elections. This growing unease among voters should prompt the Albanese government to carefully consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI and datacentre investments, rather than relying solely on monetary policy to address inflation.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
