Happy Friday.
The current thing in tech and business is the March AOC-Sanders data center moratorium bill, which went viral again thanks to a post by Garry Tan.
No guests on the show today. Run of ShowAlamyGarry Tan kicked up a new round of discourse on the AOC-Sanders data center moratorium bill that they introduced in March. Garry’s post:
News also came out that Hill County, Texas, voted to issue a moratorium on data center construction for one year, and that the City of Cleveland rejected a data center permit application yesterday.
A viral post by 𝕏 user SHL0MS feels weirdly apt today. On Tuesday, he posted that he had generated an image in the style of a Monet painting using AI. “Please describe, in as much detail as possible, what makes this inferior to a real Monet painting,” he wrote above the image he generated. One person responded: “I’m disappointed I have to even point it out. There is no cohesion to the depth and color choices. The reflection of the tree bleeds into the lilypads with no regard for spatial depth or contrast. The background lilypad-algae amalgam is egregiously vague, like most AI art.”
The thing is that SHL0MS was trolling. The image he posted was actually a Monet painting, not something generated by AI.
People do have genuine, valid concerns about data centers in their backyards, but the fact that at least some of the backlash appears to be driven by simple reactionary politics is hard to ignore.
Clip Spotlight: Saagar Enjeti on the coming backlash to AIBreaking Points’ Saagar Enjeti says AI companies are “fighting against a very, very big force” in the US.
“There’s this rising populist tide against the data center movement. And against Abundance-style assurances from politicians and companies.”
“Something is happening. The tide has not only turned, but coming.”
“People just feel like this is out of their control. About AI especially. They’re like, ‘I want impact. I want a say.’”
“There’s an overwhelming animus, and people are angry. It’s about a lack of control. ‘You’re coming to take my job, you’re increasing my electricity prices, you’re changing my nation. And I have to have a say as a citizen.’”
“It’s no longer just about electricity, it’s about the whole picture.”
From his appearance on the show in April.
HeadlinesAOC-Sanders March data center moratorium bill draws outrage on the timeline
Senator Warren says she’s opened an investigation into data center companies
City of Cleveland rejects data center permit
Texas Tribune: Texas county pauses data center construction in rural areas for a year
𝕏 user SHL0MS trolls the timeline by posting a real Monet but saying it was AI generated
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