I'm sorry Dave.

I read something yesterday in Wired that suggested that the big tech CEOs like Elon Musk, that robot who runs Facebook and the rest of them are having a hard time with the fact that there seems to be major pushback by "ordinary" people around AI.

I use AI in work, so you can regard me as being a bit more tech-y that the average person, but even I have issues around the momentum regarding AI.

1. The data centre and environmental cost

There's obviously the data centre issue. As AI and LLMs become more widespread, we're going to need a growing number of enormous data centres to run them. These facilities consume huge amounts of electricity and water, and require significant physical infrastructure. So there's a legitimate question about what the environmental cost of the AI boom will ultimately be — particularly if we're deploying these systems at massive scale.

2. The hardware cost

Then there's the hardware. AI requires enormous amounts of computing power, memory and storage, and AI companies and data centres are hoovering up these resources at an unprecedented rate. That has knock-on effects for everyone else. If demand for computer chips, memory and storage increases dramatically, those components become more expensive — and ultimately so does everything that relies on them: phones, computers, tablets, servers and countless other products.

3. Is AI actually making our lives better?

I'm increasingly sceptical about the promises that AI is going to make people's lives better. How, exactly, is my life getting better because of AI? At work, I'm increasingly expected to produce more within the same amount of time because AI supposedly makes me more productive. But is it doing my chores? Is it giving me more free time? Is it making my life meaningfully better, or is it simply allowing employers to expect more from me?

4. The loss of jobs

Then there's the obvious concern about jobs. My industry has been decimated over the past few years. Some of that is undoubtedly a correction following the over-hiring that happened during Covid, but I also think some of it is driven by the belief among The Powers That Be that LLMs will allow one person to be as productive as two or three.

Don't get me wrong: I accept that the rise of AI will create new jobs — jobs that don't exist today, just as previous technological advances have created entirely new industries and professions. But I'm not convinced that the number of new jobs will make up for the number of jobs that disappear. I can see AI increasing productivity while simultaneously reducing the overall number of people needed to do the work.

5. We're moving too fast

Finally, I think we're moving far too quickly. Let's assume that LLMs are here to stay and that they're going to have a significant impact on employment. What exactly are our governments going to do about that?

It feels as though there should at least be serious discussion about things like Universal Basic Income (UBI), retraining and other ways of supporting people through a potentially enormous shift in the labour market. But I don't see much evidence from my own government that it's seriously preparing for that future. Instead, we're being sold the AI/LLM dream while the potentially enormous social and economic consequences are barely being addressed.

If the CEOs want me to buy in to AI, then it has to have as big an impact on my personal life: more time, money/spending power etc. and not just be a tool so I can be more productive for The Machine. Address that and I might be more sympathetic.

So what are your thoughts about the rise of AI?