https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/openais-colossal-ai-data-center-targets-would-consume-as-much-electricity-as-entire-nation-of-india-250gw-target-would-require-30-million-gpus-annually-to-ensure-continuous-operation-emit-twice-as-much-carbon-dioxide-as-exxonmobil

So much for the green agender.

Every time I read something like this, I marvel at the efficiency of the human brain. It still outperforms AI in many ways, with an amazingly small energy consumption.

Peter

Do we really need to get into electrical generation again?  You know very well where this will end up!

3 minutes ago, qqwertz said:

Every time I read something like this, I marvel at the efficiency of the human brain. It still outperforms AI in many ways, with an amazingly small energy consumption.

Peter

 

Do you think the brain might utilize quantum processes, Peter? Penrose and his microtubules. 

Edited November 13, 2025Nov 13 by martin-w

When the brain outperforms AI hopefully it will come up with cure for cancer.

12 minutes ago, martin-w said:

 

Do you think the brain might utilize quantum processes, Peter? Penrose and his microtubules. 

Well, the brain is made out of molecules, and molecular bonds are explained through quantum effects (especially the Pauli principle), So yes, the brain uses almost certainly something "quantum".

But on the other hand, many effects that we would consider as genuinely quantum (like quantum entanglement) only reveal themselves in well isolated systems, not in such a squishy environment like the brain. It is hard to tell whether the brain would be genuinely quantum, or if it just happens to be based on quantum systems and could run just as nicely with some advanced classical system.

So, my answer to your question is a most assertive "maybe" 😉

 

The AI boom has been a concern of mine for some time now, especially in relation to the consequences for electricity consumption and job losses.  Power prices have been increasing substantially, especially in areas where big data centers are being built.  This is the main reason behind the new push for more nuclear power, to include the small modular reactors.

Some predictions are that trillions will be spent on AI over the next 10 or so years, and I just wonder what all this massive computing power will be used for?  Moreover, many jobs will be lost, and I am skeptical that all of them can be replaced with new AI-related tech jobs.  Analogies are made between what happened in the early 20th century with all the lost farm jobs being replaced with factory jobs, but this is different.  I can build a small data center that can replace 500 customer service jobs, but only need 10 people to operate and maintain the data center, so what about the other 490 people who lost their job?

I'm also concerned about all the fake AI videos I've come across lately.  I was watching a compilation of funny and interesting dog videos the other day and I'm quite sure that a few of the more amazing ones, that at first glance looked very real, used some AI computer generation. It won't be long before AI will be able to convincingly replace actors and TV presenters, so Hollywood had better watch out as well.

Interesting times....

Dave

19 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

I'm also concerned about all the fake AI videos I've come across lately.  I was watching a compilation of funny and interesting dog videos the other day and I'm quite sure that a few of the more amazing ones, that at first glance looked very real, used some AI computer generation. It won't be long before AI will be able to convincingly replace actors and TV presenters, so Hollywood had better watch out as well.

 

It's driving me nuts lately. Instagram and YouTube are now full of them, all manner of fake videos. Amazing how many people on these platforms are fooled by them, which is worrying from a manipulation perspective. 

In terms of powering all the new AI stuff, there are a number of strategies being implemented. Tech companies are making investments in renewable energy, nuclear as Dave said, data center design, A-I optimized chips with significantly less energy per computation, advanced cooling systems and software optimization.

Will it be enough... I don't know. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2025Nov 13 by martin-w

8 hours ago, dave2013 said:

I can build a small data center <snip> need 10 people to operate...

Um, Dave??  In that scenario you've created 10 new jobs, and probably added greatly to many people's productivity.  
 

8 hours ago, dave2013 said:

It won't be long before AI will be able to convincingly replace actors and TV presenters

This has already happened.  I was watching a video of a presenter a few weeks ago, and wondering why she wasn't moving around much.  Then she mispronounced something in a way that only AI could do, and it was obvious.  Except for being a little stiff she really looked real.

Tim Pool recently posted a movie trailer that he'd apparently made with a single sentence prompt, and it was extremely creative, and very well done.

Hook

1 hour ago, LHookins said:

Um, Dave??  In that scenario you've created 10 new jobs, and probably added greatly to many people's productivity.  

Well, 500 people got laid off from their customer service, call center, and data entry jobs because AI from my data center does those now, so that's many more jobs lost than gained.  The new 10, or maybe even 25, jobs created at my data center are better jobs and pay more, but what are the other 475 people going to do?

There are many other jobs that can also eventually be replaced by AI applications and robots, like cashiers, receptionists, cooks, sales reps, factory workers, warehouse workers, and others.  There are millions of people employed in these lower and medium-skilled jobs, and I wonder what they will do.

Elon Musk and others have talked about this, with some suggesting a basic minimum income provided by govt. for the millions who will lose their jobs and have difficulty finding work.

I believe that ultimately the free market will provide enough jobs for everyone, but the transition will take years and will result in some hardship for many.

Dave

6 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

Well, 500 people got laid off from their customer service, call center, and data entry jobs because AI from my data center does those now, so that's many more jobs lost than gained.  The new 10, or maybe even 25, jobs created at my data center are better jobs and pay more, but what are the other 475 people going to do?

There are many other jobs that can also eventually be replaced by AI applications and robots, like cashiers, receptionists, cooks, sales reps, factory workers, warehouse workers, and others.  There are millions of people employed in these lower and medium-skilled jobs, and I wonder what they will do.

Elon Musk and others have talked about this, with some suggesting a basic minimum income provided by govt. for the millions who will lose their jobs and have difficulty finding work.

I believe that ultimately the free market will provide enough jobs for everyone, but the transition will take years and will result in some hardship for many.

Dave

Who need a job when AI can do it for you.

Man don't need job, you only think you need one(or more) because of capitalism.

4 minutes ago, C2615 said:

Man don't need job, you only think you need one(or more) because of capitalism.

I'm not sure if you're serious or just joking.

If you're serious, then who is going to work the farms for your bread, pasta, and corn?  Who will work the ranches for your meat?  Who will make the machinery to do the farm and ranch work?  Who will drive the trucks to bring that food to your local store so that you can obtain it?  Who will work the drills for the gasoline and oil, or repair and install the solar panels and wind turbines for the electricity used to charge the batteries for those trucks and to power the computer or smartphone that you're using right now?

Those are all "jobs" BTW.

Dave

16 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

I'm not sure if you're serious or just joking.

If you're serious, then who is going to work the farms for your bread, pasta, and corn?  Who will work the ranches for your meat?  Who will make the machinery to do the farm and ranch work?  Who will drive the trucks to bring that food to your local store so that you can obtain it?  Who will work the drills for the gasoline and oil, or repair and install the solar panels and wind turbines for the electricity used to charge the batteries for those trucks and to power the computer or smartphone that you're using right now?

Those are all "jobs" BTW.

Dave

"When AI can do it for you"

37 minutes ago, C2615 said:

Who need a job when AI can do it for you.

 

Agreed! So we put Who on first base. He's less liable to fumble ground balls there. So yeah, Who's on first.

2 hours ago, C2615 said:

"When AI can do it for you"

AI and robots can't do everything, yet.  We still need some people to do certain things.

If you're talking 50 or 100 years from now, then yes, maybe robots will be able to do all the work and we'll just spend our days enjoying ourselves and frolicking in the meadows and forests.  A new Eden, if you will.

Dave