Sam Altman thinks fusion - particularly a company he's personally invested in - can provide the energy we "need" to develop AGI. Meanwhile, what if we just...put data centers on the Moon to save energy? Alex, Emily, and guest Tamara Kneese pour cold water on Silicon Valley's various unhinged, technosolutionist ideas about energy and the environment.
Dr. Tamara Kneese is director of climate, technology and justice at the Data & Society Research Institute
Due to some technical issues during our recording, this week's episode is a bit shorter than usual.
References:
Sam Altman is banking on fusion
“Regenerative finance” in the crypto era
Fears of subprime carbon assets stall crypto mission to save rainforest
Corporate carbon offset company accidentally starts devastating wildfire
The AI/crypto crossoverAI/crypto crossover no one asked for
Blockchains wanted to build a smart city. The state could not sign off on its water rights
Predatory delay and other myths of sustainable AI
Book: Digital Energetics, on Bitcoin/AI computing as a larger energy problem
Fresh AI Hell:
Fake books about indigenous languages
Surveillance company harrasses own employees with cameras
Schools SWATing kids based on AI outputs
Check out future streams on Twitch. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see.
Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now.
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Emily
- Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social
- Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender
Alex
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- Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex
- Twitter: @alexhanna
Music by Toby Menon.
Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park.
Production by Christie Taylor and Ozzy Llinas Goodman.
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