Citizens Use AI to Protest AI

­In a famous episode of The Simpsons, Kelsey Grammar’s villainous Sideshow Bob protests the evils of television by holding the town of Springfield hostage. And as he appears on TV to deliver his fiendish monologue, he utters the immortal line, “By the way, I'm aware of the irony of appearing on TV in order to decry it, so don't bother pointing that out.”

That was running through my head when I saw this – some Ohio residents are using generative AI to help protest the spread of AI data centers. Yes, they’re literally using AI to protest AI. And not just any AI, but the very AI that helps train and create the type they’re using.

We’re all familiar with the runaway proliferation of AI data centers – with over 4,000 in the U.S. and growing rapidly – and we’ve all seen their output. Yes, the most prevalent AI application is generative slop, and that dancing cat video won’t exactly save the world.

But every corner of our industry is being invaded by artificial intelligence – with innumerable industrial, military, medical, and countless other applications – so silly pictures and videos won’t receive top billing for too much longer.

Couple these bourgeoning AI data centers with their voracious appetite for power – about 183 TWh in 2024, or about 4% of the country’s total electricity usage – and watchdog groups (and ordinary citizens) are sounding the alarm about AI’s energy usage and its potentially deleterious effect on the environment.

Gizmodo notes that AI data centers produce “heat islands” within a 6-mile radius (like the heat islands in city centers), and those can lead to health problems and impair local agriculture.

All this led to activists like Ohio realtor Jessica Baker taking, which in this case, means using ChatGPT to write records requests to fight against a data center and transcribe meetings minutes with fellow activists.

I probably don’t need to mention that AI data centers – of the sort Baker is protesting – train and power the exact AI she’s using, plus a host of other chatbots and generative programs.

Do as I say, not as I do, apparently.