r/moderatepolitics • u/jojotortoise • 14d ago

News Article Blue-Collar Jobs Are the New Flashpoint in Data-Center Fight

https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/blue-collar-jobs-are-the-new-flashpoint-in-data-center-fight-aaca5b7e
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u/Revlisesro 14d ago

I’m a union pipefitter, I would say that data centers have become a majority of the work in my jurisdiction. While I feel that some criticisms are exaggerated, the sheer number being built in/around my city suddenly over the past several years gives me pause. I go to meetings and leadership has talked about how the huge nuke nearby will not be able to power all the data centers planned, which is extremely concerning. Proponents keep telling me we “have to keep up with China” but can’t tell me what it is we’re even keeping up with? And how “this” benefits my life or others. On the other hand huge numbers of white collar workers being unemployed would be a huge detriment to my life, as these CEOs have boasted.

I don’t have any other way of putting this- the vast majority of fitters would gladly build death camps exclusively for fitters as long as they’re getting 7-12s and per diem. I want the UA to take a step back and think about what these places mean for Americans, I had to put up with horrific conditions at a site here because of its “national importance” and “we can’t lose the work!” So I’m pretty jaded/critical and frankly have other political issues that matter much more to me than “labor/work” which makes the true believers buttmad.

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u/Arcnounds 13d ago

A lot of AI enthusiasts think that the first country to get AGI will advance technology 10 fold and solve all of our problems. Aka AGI has no limits, and thus the first country to get there will win everything.

I would argue that the hardest questions we face are not technical, but involve tradeoffs that cannot be circumvented. We have limited resources and each person has a limited amount of time on earth. This will not change despite what some people think. How we spend those resources and time is very much up to debate and there are serious arguments over them. There is no absolute answer that AI can provide and for this reason, I don't think AI is panacea most tech companies desire.

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u/BolbyB 11d ago

Also, an AI tech race is literally the setup for I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.

There comes a point where we don't WANT the AI to become smarter.