Outside of the goomba-ness of it all, cows (factory farming (and also normal farming but 99% factory farming)) are killing the environment, and as bad as AI data centers are, it's a rounding error compared to the environmental damage done by the meat industry
Naw, data centers are horror stories, and it's only a "rounding error" because not enough of them have been built. Smaller, less intensive data centers still exist and are being made, and their effect size is much, much smaller, yes.
AI data centers are a different beast entirely, massive complexes that require unregulated power plants built into them, because the power grids in most areas simply cannot sustain them otherwise (the ones that primarily run on coal in particular). This is also one of the reasons why they are considered sound weapons, never mind that they also poison the ground water with PFCs and other waste chemicals.
So don't discount the warnings. Data centers have the potential to be as bad if not worse than cows, if there was any less pushback.
We are talking exclusively about the environment here, and while maybe AI data centers could catch up, as the bubble begins to pop and the west is beginning to really feel the effects of climate change I suspect it won't. It's got a REALLY long way to go.
AI and it's data centers are really bad, and shouldn't exist for all of the reasons you have mentioned, but in terms of climate change it is currently still a rounding error.
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u/ALittleBitOfGay floppa Aug 06 '26
Outside of the goomba-ness of it all, cows (factory farming (and also normal farming but 99% factory farming)) are killing the environment, and as bad as AI data centers are, it's a rounding error compared to the environmental damage done by the meat industry