Really fantastic piece that needs to be read by everyone. There are great sacrifices ahead if we don’t slow down. The idea that life just becomes faster not necessarily easier is critical. We’re already moving well beyond what our basic human systems can process so speeding up isn’t the answer. Our nervous systems are at max capacity as it is. AI isn’t about making OUR lives easier (that’s a marketing ploy to get us to accept it), it’s about making us inhumanely productive so the CEOs and bros can make more money squeezing every ounce of sanity from us before making human endeavors obsolete. And… as you also mention the environmental costs are too great to be considered sustainable. If AI was so amazing it would already be flashing its own lights in a warning to us all. Thanks as always for another insightful piece. ❤️
Thanks so much! Yes indeed, "there are great sacrifices ahead if we don't slow down." I think about this regularly. The point you make about our nervous systems is so real. I definitely feel that one personally.
Thank you Mr. Sonnenblume, a very important article. I am just so tired of living in a nation surrounded by electronic junk that people seem so addicted to and that we keep adding to every day. And now we have AI, yippee! And yet how many people can actually do anything basic? Kids and lots of adults can no longer read a map, for goodness sake, because now we have GPS! How can we find ourselves if we don’t know where we are in the world? We can’t grow our own food, make our own clothes, entertain ourselves. Some people can, but really, not a lot. People don’t fix things anymore. My grandkids would say I sound like a crazy old lady, of course they’re right. People come to me to sew on lost buttons and pay me to hem their pants. You can’t hem your own damn pants? Really? Sorry, I guess I am just so tired of this modern world with modern people thinking things are just fine, not even seeing the walls collapsing around them. I was hoping peak oil would force a reckoning, but we just kicked that can down the road. Now it looks like we will destroy our beautiful, beloved, sacred world with stupid shit like AI before we run out of the energy to run it.
<sigh> Yes, I hear you on all of that, and feel it too.
The one thing I would add is that so many things are no longer built to be fixed, even if you want to take the time. I am grateful my mother taught me how to sew, and that she passed her 1960s Singer down to me, but some newer clothes are hardly worth mending because they fall apart so fast. After I've patched a pair of pants twice, the next time they tear it's usually not worth it to try again cuz they're on the verge of falling apart. (Of course, outdoor activities like farming are also especially hard on pants.)
And yes, I share your fear that we are on the verge of destroying our beautiful, beloved, sacred world for stupid shit. Arggggh.
Thank you, Mr. Sonnenblume. I just wanted to add that so many modern clothes are made from fake oil- derived fabric anyway, why bother fixing those? And who wants to wear oil? Well, seemingly most of everyone!! And even if a fabric is only 1% of something else the fabric it’s made from is no longer recyclable. Also, fabric like bamboo, that people think is “sustainable “, causes immense ecological damage because of the chemicals needed to turn it into fabric. Trying to end this rant. I spin, weave, knit , have sewn since I was four years old, and can make sewing patterns if I need to. What modern clothing manufacturer is doing to the planet does a lot more than set my teeth on edge.
And I glad you learned to sew, a skill everyone should have, in my book. And those 1960s Singers were great machines, a lot better than the computerized was for sale nowadays.
Thanks so much, Heather! I personally stay away from polyester. I don't like how it feels on my skin, and it tends to pick up odors. What's specifically been disappointing to me is the fact that Carhartts pants (100% cotton) won't make it through two seasons. I feel like they used to be burlier. Kean shoes also barely make it through two, and they were definitely better before they moved their manufacturing overseas 10-15 years ago.
My mother kinda ended up regretting passing that Singer on because she's gone through two of the modern computerized ones.
So glad you enjoy the blog! I'm happy to hear that.
Your book sounds cool re invasive species. I can relate to those plants.
I see many negatives of AI and there are also benefits. Have you read the book The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman- one of the billionaire founders
I read and heard him speak. It is an incredibly chilling read. I understand that AI is here and intelligent humans can and will use this tech for good and limit the bad.
The Coming Wave book should be mandatory reading. It discusses AI containment strategies but it is becoming clear now that decentralized disruptive powerful technology cannot be contained. So then what is the question.
More from Say It Isn't So: AGU in June 2024 reported on constellation satellite re-entry burn up and the subsequent release of Aluminum Oxides nanoparticles. These catalyst the production of chlorine forms that readily destroy the ozone layer. This may be the Achillies Heel for the AI 'cloud layer.'
Thank you for bringing some attention to this. I’ve been quite surprised and disheartened that this hasn’t been a primary component of the AI conversation.
(It seems to be an overarching issue of ours… to constantly have be having the “wrong” conversation about critical things… ie reducing climate to carbon emissions only, when that’s only a symptom of the true problem, our relationship with the natural world etc.)
I think all technology has potential for good and bad uses… but I’m not sure how we get around the environmental/energy impacts of this one. There are plenty of things to be bearish about for the future… but this is top of the list for me. 😪
You're welcome, Ben! I'm not sure how we get around the environmental/energy impacts of this one either. And since those impacts are so important to me, I felt it was important to emphasize them in this article.
You're so right that we are constantly having the "wrong" conversations. The fact that our current lifestyles divorce us so much from our own impacts is a big part of it. So I think that focusing on living things other than ourselves can help to steer us in a better direction. Like, focusing on them in our own lives. Part of that is "touching grass" as people are fond of saying these days.
This was such a thorough and well-researched article. I’m no fan of AI
—though of course the AI I’m not a fan of isn’t necessarily representative of ALL AI—but this seems the kind of undertaking it would not be able to pull off.
Just so many layers and the environment is routinely left holding the bag. The faster vs easier difference is huge. Even with human intelligence, expediency often costs us accuracy or thorough understanding. It seems AI, even when consciously employed, has the potential to exacerbate this tendency in humans.
AI is without doubt terrible for the enviroment. But I think it's more important to focus on greener solutions with AI and energy. We know that we are capable of it, but we are seeing a federal pull of enviromental grants and projects because of the current administration. Nothing is ever a black and white issue, neither is AI.
AI has the potential to be life saving, its currently being marketed to the everyday person as frivolous. I made a note yesterday explaining my insulin pump uses an AI algorithm and more pumps with more advanced AI are being brought to the market, which is life saving and gives so many people a sense of their life back. It has also has been a great affect to be used to accommodate certain disabilities. We don't need chap gpt, I've played with it like most people and simply won't use it willing knowing the pure amount of water and energy it uses. But AI does have a place in Healthcare and science.
Those are posts on that topic I've written here. Tldr is that I think we need to put a lot more effort into reducing our overall energy consumption, which will reduce the need to build more energy infrastructure. My concern is that all energy infrastructure has an environmental impact, and currently the impacts of "green" energy are underplayed.
But putting all that aside, yes every new technology brings some advantages for some people. I see the question as being, ok, but is that the only way or the best way to tackle those challenges? And if so, how can we limit the technology to just those uses?
So for example, urbanists talk a lot about how car-centric cities are terrible for human safety and health, human happiness, the environment and even the economy. Right now in the US, most people are effectively forced to have a car in most cities, and this is clearly it's own form of oppression. It's also true that cars benefit disabled people. So, the question becomes: how can we re-jigger urban life so that it's no longer car dependent but still serves everyone's needs? Well, if we were motivated, we could eliminate the need for the vast majority of car trips with changes in zoning, robust public transportation, etc. In the radically different form of urban life that emerged, it might turn out that disabled people *also* don't need cars as much because a) there would be so many other options that kept them in mind from the beginning and b) abled people would have more time and energy to devote to the disabled people in their lives and give them the extra help they need.
I want to stress the importance of (b): Currently our society is very focused on the individual, and so we seek individual solutions. Yes that makes sense in this moment, but I believe we should be striving for a society that is instead focused on community and the collective, which would have solutions that were community and collective oriented. For my part, I've been focusing on efforts to re-localize agriculture because of the many environmental and social benefits that small-scale organic farming has. This year I'll be working on a farm in a rural community in western Colorado where other people are also trying to do similar things.
I would like to look at AI and other technological innovations this way. What are the things that AI can do that only AI can do right now? Like the insulin pump you mentioned. What are the things that we don't need AI to do, and which are only being pursued to generate profit? And, what can we do to re-jigger our society so that the first category is as small as possible? Because AI infrastructure will be having an environmental impact. Wildlife habitat will be destroyed, and more-than-human creatures will lose their homes. There is a very real sacrifice that others will be making for us. We better make sure that this sacrifice is for actual needs! And be sure that there really isn't another way of doing them that's less harmful!
I'll end with the reminder that my Substack is named after the famous words of the Lorax: “I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” This doesn't mean I believe that nothing else or nobody else is worth speaking for. It's just the focus I have personally chosen. I respect that other people are speaking for other beings or causes.
Thanks very much for the comment. I appreciated it.
Overall, I agree. I think that AI should be used sparingly for the betterment of society and that we should aim to use less energy. It's like advancement at what costs? I am not saying your article is, but alot of general conversation about AI is very ableist. I think we agree with the overall concept, unfortunately AI is never going away because it makes them to much money. We can only hope for better regulation in the future and avoid using AI when posisble. At my day job I work at an engineering firm and could probably talk about American infrastructure for hours.
"At my day job I work at an engineering firm and could probably talk about American infrastructure for hours." -- oh cool! I subscribed to you for your plant posts and didn't know that about you.
I'm glad you didn't find my post ableist. I am aware that some of the AI conversation has been ableist, so I was keeping that in mind while I reflected on the topic and then wrote about it. The Death Panel podcast has been a positive influence on me in being aware of ableism in society and myself.
Oof this piece gave me shivers. It's hard to look at the cold, hard truth and not become fearful about what will come from this AI frenzy. I was just talking to my friend about how I think it will make us stupider (and that's the least of it, of course). Sure, you get to use this convenient tool, but in return you outsource your cognition and creativity, brain growing mushier, lazier and more dependant as time goes on. Ah, so much I could rant about. I feel honoured that you finished this important article with my words, thank you.
I'm glad you appreciated the article so much, Livana! I've really been enjoying your thoughts here on this funny virtual medium. Looking forward to more of your rants for sure.
Where are you on the issue of waning fossil fuels, post peak-oil? That's behind the failure of so-called "green" energy to be a one-to-one replacement, and it's also fueling the rise of nuclear. Running out of high-EROI fossil fuels might actually undo this AI digital industrial complex, though likely not soon enough to avoid all the ecological impacts you succinctly point out.
Yeah eventually there's simply not going to be the resources to run something as energy intensive as AI for sure. Arguably, we're already there now but haven't admitted it, since we should be cutting back on all our energy usage, and prioritizing just the essentials. Ultimately, I'm thinking about all the nuclear plants, which will need power for quite some time to prevent melt-downs and keep cooling systems for "spent" fuel intact. This important long-term issue was brought to my attention by the peak oil discourse when it was big, 15-20 years ago. I definitely took the issue of peak oil very seriously then and have been disappointed to see fade out of the discussion. Like, it's still a thing isn't it? We just put if off with the fracking and tar sands developments? That's my impression. What do you think?
I agree with you that we're already there now and haven't admitted it (at least not in the mainstream), though it's glaringly obvious to many of us still. I've been writing about this since launching Brunette Gardens in Aug 2022: https://www.brunettegardens.com/t/slowpocalypse
Are you familiar with the work of John Michael Greer? He's still actively discussing a world with less oil and the EROI problem.
You might already know these folks. But to answer your question, yeah, I think we're just disguising the "running on empty" facts with subsidized fracking and tar sands developments.
What is not mentioned here is the U.S. is in an arms race of sorts against China, Russia, India and other world powers to develop AGI. Whomever does it first holds the keys to the future from a geopolitical domination standpoint.
Really fantastic piece that needs to be read by everyone. There are great sacrifices ahead if we don’t slow down. The idea that life just becomes faster not necessarily easier is critical. We’re already moving well beyond what our basic human systems can process so speeding up isn’t the answer. Our nervous systems are at max capacity as it is. AI isn’t about making OUR lives easier (that’s a marketing ploy to get us to accept it), it’s about making us inhumanely productive so the CEOs and bros can make more money squeezing every ounce of sanity from us before making human endeavors obsolete. And… as you also mention the environmental costs are too great to be considered sustainable. If AI was so amazing it would already be flashing its own lights in a warning to us all. Thanks as always for another insightful piece. ❤️
Thanks so much! Yes indeed, "there are great sacrifices ahead if we don't slow down." I think about this regularly. The point you make about our nervous systems is so real. I definitely feel that one personally.
Thank you Mr. Sonnenblume, a very important article. I am just so tired of living in a nation surrounded by electronic junk that people seem so addicted to and that we keep adding to every day. And now we have AI, yippee! And yet how many people can actually do anything basic? Kids and lots of adults can no longer read a map, for goodness sake, because now we have GPS! How can we find ourselves if we don’t know where we are in the world? We can’t grow our own food, make our own clothes, entertain ourselves. Some people can, but really, not a lot. People don’t fix things anymore. My grandkids would say I sound like a crazy old lady, of course they’re right. People come to me to sew on lost buttons and pay me to hem their pants. You can’t hem your own damn pants? Really? Sorry, I guess I am just so tired of this modern world with modern people thinking things are just fine, not even seeing the walls collapsing around them. I was hoping peak oil would force a reckoning, but we just kicked that can down the road. Now it looks like we will destroy our beautiful, beloved, sacred world with stupid shit like AI before we run out of the energy to run it.
<sigh> Yes, I hear you on all of that, and feel it too.
The one thing I would add is that so many things are no longer built to be fixed, even if you want to take the time. I am grateful my mother taught me how to sew, and that she passed her 1960s Singer down to me, but some newer clothes are hardly worth mending because they fall apart so fast. After I've patched a pair of pants twice, the next time they tear it's usually not worth it to try again cuz they're on the verge of falling apart. (Of course, outdoor activities like farming are also especially hard on pants.)
And yes, I share your fear that we are on the verge of destroying our beautiful, beloved, sacred world for stupid shit. Arggggh.
Thank you, Mr. Sonnenblume. I just wanted to add that so many modern clothes are made from fake oil- derived fabric anyway, why bother fixing those? And who wants to wear oil? Well, seemingly most of everyone!! And even if a fabric is only 1% of something else the fabric it’s made from is no longer recyclable. Also, fabric like bamboo, that people think is “sustainable “, causes immense ecological damage because of the chemicals needed to turn it into fabric. Trying to end this rant. I spin, weave, knit , have sewn since I was four years old, and can make sewing patterns if I need to. What modern clothing manufacturer is doing to the planet does a lot more than set my teeth on edge.
And I glad you learned to sew, a skill everyone should have, in my book. And those 1960s Singers were great machines, a lot better than the computerized was for sale nowadays.
Finally!! Ended that rant! I do enjoy your blog.
Thanks so much, Heather! I personally stay away from polyester. I don't like how it feels on my skin, and it tends to pick up odors. What's specifically been disappointing to me is the fact that Carhartts pants (100% cotton) won't make it through two seasons. I feel like they used to be burlier. Kean shoes also barely make it through two, and they were definitely better before they moved their manufacturing overseas 10-15 years ago.
My mother kinda ended up regretting passing that Singer on because she's gone through two of the modern computerized ones.
So glad you enjoy the blog! I'm happy to hear that.
Your book sounds cool re invasive species. I can relate to those plants.
I see many negatives of AI and there are also benefits. Have you read the book The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman- one of the billionaire founders
I read and heard him speak. It is an incredibly chilling read. I understand that AI is here and intelligent humans can and will use this tech for good and limit the bad.
"Your book sounds cool re invasive species. I can relate to those plants. "
Cool! That's great to hear!
These are the posts I've done on the topic here on Substack:
https://kollibri.substack.com/t/invasive-plants-5ee
I have not read that book. It sounds interesting.
Thanks! Will check out your post.
The Coming Wave book should be mandatory reading. It discusses AI containment strategies but it is becoming clear now that decentralized disruptive powerful technology cannot be contained. So then what is the question.
I found an e-book to borrow
Let me know what you think. It’s insane.
More from Say It Isn't So: AGU in June 2024 reported on constellation satellite re-entry burn up and the subsequent release of Aluminum Oxides nanoparticles. These catalyst the production of chlorine forms that readily destroy the ozone layer. This may be the Achillies Heel for the AI 'cloud layer.'
Wow, that detail is new to me!
Thank you for bringing some attention to this. I’ve been quite surprised and disheartened that this hasn’t been a primary component of the AI conversation.
(It seems to be an overarching issue of ours… to constantly have be having the “wrong” conversation about critical things… ie reducing climate to carbon emissions only, when that’s only a symptom of the true problem, our relationship with the natural world etc.)
I think all technology has potential for good and bad uses… but I’m not sure how we get around the environmental/energy impacts of this one. There are plenty of things to be bearish about for the future… but this is top of the list for me. 😪
You're welcome, Ben! I'm not sure how we get around the environmental/energy impacts of this one either. And since those impacts are so important to me, I felt it was important to emphasize them in this article.
You're so right that we are constantly having the "wrong" conversations. The fact that our current lifestyles divorce us so much from our own impacts is a big part of it. So I think that focusing on living things other than ourselves can help to steer us in a better direction. Like, focusing on them in our own lives. Part of that is "touching grass" as people are fond of saying these days.
I’m with you there! It definitely feels like the bare minimum is that we embody those changes and then are potentially leading by example for others.
This was such a thorough and well-researched article. I’m no fan of AI
—though of course the AI I’m not a fan of isn’t necessarily representative of ALL AI—but this seems the kind of undertaking it would not be able to pull off.
Just so many layers and the environment is routinely left holding the bag. The faster vs easier difference is huge. Even with human intelligence, expediency often costs us accuracy or thorough understanding. It seems AI, even when consciously employed, has the potential to exacerbate this tendency in humans.
AI is without doubt terrible for the enviroment. But I think it's more important to focus on greener solutions with AI and energy. We know that we are capable of it, but we are seeing a federal pull of enviromental grants and projects because of the current administration. Nothing is ever a black and white issue, neither is AI.
AI has the potential to be life saving, its currently being marketed to the everyday person as frivolous. I made a note yesterday explaining my insulin pump uses an AI algorithm and more pumps with more advanced AI are being brought to the market, which is life saving and gives so many people a sense of their life back. It has also has been a great affect to be used to accommodate certain disabilities. We don't need chap gpt, I've played with it like most people and simply won't use it willing knowing the pure amount of water and energy it uses. But AI does have a place in Healthcare and science.
To add I also never see this topic spoken in a nuanced way, it's a complex issue.
Thanks for the comment!
I have thoughts about "green" energy, which you can check out here:
https://kollibri.substack.com/t/green-energy-ed9
Those are posts on that topic I've written here. Tldr is that I think we need to put a lot more effort into reducing our overall energy consumption, which will reduce the need to build more energy infrastructure. My concern is that all energy infrastructure has an environmental impact, and currently the impacts of "green" energy are underplayed.
But putting all that aside, yes every new technology brings some advantages for some people. I see the question as being, ok, but is that the only way or the best way to tackle those challenges? And if so, how can we limit the technology to just those uses?
So for example, urbanists talk a lot about how car-centric cities are terrible for human safety and health, human happiness, the environment and even the economy. Right now in the US, most people are effectively forced to have a car in most cities, and this is clearly it's own form of oppression. It's also true that cars benefit disabled people. So, the question becomes: how can we re-jigger urban life so that it's no longer car dependent but still serves everyone's needs? Well, if we were motivated, we could eliminate the need for the vast majority of car trips with changes in zoning, robust public transportation, etc. In the radically different form of urban life that emerged, it might turn out that disabled people *also* don't need cars as much because a) there would be so many other options that kept them in mind from the beginning and b) abled people would have more time and energy to devote to the disabled people in their lives and give them the extra help they need.
I want to stress the importance of (b): Currently our society is very focused on the individual, and so we seek individual solutions. Yes that makes sense in this moment, but I believe we should be striving for a society that is instead focused on community and the collective, which would have solutions that were community and collective oriented. For my part, I've been focusing on efforts to re-localize agriculture because of the many environmental and social benefits that small-scale organic farming has. This year I'll be working on a farm in a rural community in western Colorado where other people are also trying to do similar things.
I would like to look at AI and other technological innovations this way. What are the things that AI can do that only AI can do right now? Like the insulin pump you mentioned. What are the things that we don't need AI to do, and which are only being pursued to generate profit? And, what can we do to re-jigger our society so that the first category is as small as possible? Because AI infrastructure will be having an environmental impact. Wildlife habitat will be destroyed, and more-than-human creatures will lose their homes. There is a very real sacrifice that others will be making for us. We better make sure that this sacrifice is for actual needs! And be sure that there really isn't another way of doing them that's less harmful!
I'll end with the reminder that my Substack is named after the famous words of the Lorax: “I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” This doesn't mean I believe that nothing else or nobody else is worth speaking for. It's just the focus I have personally chosen. I respect that other people are speaking for other beings or causes.
Thanks very much for the comment. I appreciated it.
Overall, I agree. I think that AI should be used sparingly for the betterment of society and that we should aim to use less energy. It's like advancement at what costs? I am not saying your article is, but alot of general conversation about AI is very ableist. I think we agree with the overall concept, unfortunately AI is never going away because it makes them to much money. We can only hope for better regulation in the future and avoid using AI when posisble. At my day job I work at an engineering firm and could probably talk about American infrastructure for hours.
"At my day job I work at an engineering firm and could probably talk about American infrastructure for hours." -- oh cool! I subscribed to you for your plant posts and didn't know that about you.
I'm glad you didn't find my post ableist. I am aware that some of the AI conversation has been ableist, so I was keeping that in mind while I reflected on the topic and then wrote about it. The Death Panel podcast has been a positive influence on me in being aware of ableism in society and myself.
Oof this piece gave me shivers. It's hard to look at the cold, hard truth and not become fearful about what will come from this AI frenzy. I was just talking to my friend about how I think it will make us stupider (and that's the least of it, of course). Sure, you get to use this convenient tool, but in return you outsource your cognition and creativity, brain growing mushier, lazier and more dependant as time goes on. Ah, so much I could rant about. I feel honoured that you finished this important article with my words, thank you.
I'm glad you appreciated the article so much, Livana! I've really been enjoying your thoughts here on this funny virtual medium. Looking forward to more of your rants for sure.
Cheers, much more ranting to come- that is for certain.
Where are you on the issue of waning fossil fuels, post peak-oil? That's behind the failure of so-called "green" energy to be a one-to-one replacement, and it's also fueling the rise of nuclear. Running out of high-EROI fossil fuels might actually undo this AI digital industrial complex, though likely not soon enough to avoid all the ecological impacts you succinctly point out.
Yeah eventually there's simply not going to be the resources to run something as energy intensive as AI for sure. Arguably, we're already there now but haven't admitted it, since we should be cutting back on all our energy usage, and prioritizing just the essentials. Ultimately, I'm thinking about all the nuclear plants, which will need power for quite some time to prevent melt-downs and keep cooling systems for "spent" fuel intact. This important long-term issue was brought to my attention by the peak oil discourse when it was big, 15-20 years ago. I definitely took the issue of peak oil very seriously then and have been disappointed to see fade out of the discussion. Like, it's still a thing isn't it? We just put if off with the fracking and tar sands developments? That's my impression. What do you think?
I agree with you that we're already there now and haven't admitted it (at least not in the mainstream), though it's glaringly obvious to many of us still. I've been writing about this since launching Brunette Gardens in Aug 2022: https://www.brunettegardens.com/t/slowpocalypse
Are you familiar with the work of John Michael Greer? He's still actively discussing a world with less oil and the EROI problem.
There's also an astute blog writer who tackles this from an actuarial perspective: https://ourfiniteworld.com/author/gailtheactuary/
You might already know these folks. But to answer your question, yeah, I think we're just disguising the "running on empty" facts with subsidized fracking and tar sands developments.
Thank you for presenting a rational look at AI.
And also this https://oswald67.substack.com/p/are-edible-insects-and-lab-grown?r=2r3au
Totally agree
You might be interested in this piece https://oswald67.substack.com/p/right-wing-and-green-star-crossed?r=2r3au
Well said, as always!
What is not mentioned here is the U.S. is in an arms race of sorts against China, Russia, India and other world powers to develop AGI. Whomever does it first holds the keys to the future from a geopolitical domination standpoint.