Google’s emissions are up 48% in 5 years. Microsoft’s are up 30% since 2020. Those soaring figures are being driven by mass investments in data centers to power AI tools.
Generative AI is a climate disaster and data center expansion must be stopped.
https://disconnect.blog/generative-ai-is-a-climate-disaster/
#ai #tech #datacenter #generativeai #climate #climatechange
In 2021, Elon Musk said the government should end all EV subsidies. Yet new data shows Tesla received more money from Biden’s grants to expand EV charging networks than anyone else — $17 million, or 13% of all EV charging awards.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/27/tesla-biden-electric-car-charging-00143431
#tech #tesla #elonmusk #evs
Imagine if a country passed a law saying Facebook or Google had to sell to a non-US owner or it would be banned.
The ban isn’t because TikTok is a threat to US privacy or whatever, but because it threatens the global market share of US tech and by extension the geopolitical power of the US state.
https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-house-vote-china-national-security-8fa7258fae1a4902d344c9d978d58a37
#tech #tiktok #politics #socialmedia
After a year of hype, the reality is emerging. Cloud clients aren’t buying generative AI tools because they’re expensive, lack accuracy, and it’s not clear what value they provide. Some analysts are already warning of a coming “trough of disillusionment.”
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/generative-ai-providers-quietly-tamp-down-expectations
#tech #ai #generativeai #artificialintelligence
After spreading “white genocide” myths and demonizing migrants, there’s no denying it: Elon Musk is a racist.
But he’s been pushing racist ideas in a less overt way for years. He dismissed racist abuse in his factories or pushed eugenic ideas about population levels. We need to reckon with why so may were unwilling to call it out sooner.
https://www.disconnect.blog/p/elon-musk-is-a-racist
#tech #elonmusk #migration #racism
Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial finally began this week — and it doesn’t look good for him.
On #TechWontSaveUs, I spoke with Jacob Silverman to better understand the case, how the government will be making its arguments, and whether Bankman-Fried has any real chance of avoiding a guilty verdict. The question seems to be how many years he’ll be spending behind bars, not whether he’ll end up there.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004689/13715103-sam-bankman-fried-on-trial-w-jacob-silverman
#tech #crypto #sbf #ftx
so the dude is richer than humanely imaginable and basically just wants to be a robot, but since he can’t merge with AI he’s decided to create a restrictive “algorithm” to ensure he lives a joyless life that’s as machine-like as possible
https://time.com/6315607/bryan-johnsons-quest-for-immortality/
In this week’s Disconnect Roundup, I dig into the antitrust case against Amazon and how it differs from FTC head Lina Khan’s initial arguments against the company. Plus, the usual recommended reads, labor updates, and other news you might have missed!
https://www.disconnect.blog/p/roundup-will-amazon-be-broken-up
#tech #amazon #antitrust
On Wednesday, X CEO Linda Yaccarino gave a disastrous interview at the Code Conference. She deflected questions about the problems at the company and heaped praise on Elon Musk, further calling into question her ability to turn things around.
Ultimately, her goal is to use X as a stepping stone to a CEO position elsewhere, like Disney. But her inability to get Musk in line severely jeopardizes that plan.
https://www.disconnect.blog/p/has-linda-yaccarino-lost-it
#tech #elonmusk #x #twitter
The Luddites weren’t backward technophobes. They saw factory owners using tech to degrade their livelihoods and they fought back — first by trying to negotiate, then writing to Parliament, and finally smashing the machines.
As workers today organize and strike over bosses using digital tech to upend their industries, there’s a lot we can learn from the Luddites’ story. I was thrilled to dig into it with @ac70e44e!
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004689/13638517-the-real-history-of-the-luddites-w-brian-merchant
#tech #history #luddite #workers
I was deeply saddened to learn that David Golumbia died of cancer this week.
In the Disconnect Roundup, I wrote about him and his work with the hope he isn’t forgotten anytime soon. He’ll be missed, and we’re worse off without his critical perspective.
https://www.disconnect.blog/p/roundup-remembering-david-golumbia
Apple doesn’t have groundbreaking features to entice people to buy their new products. Instead, it wants to convince you that if you buy an iPhone or Apple Watch, it could literally save your life and will mitigate your environmental footprint while it’s at it.
But those are pretty dubious claims that rely on carbon offsets and dismiss all the harm and suffering that’s been chronicled in Apple’s supply chain. Don’t buy the PR!
https://www.disconnect.blog/p/apple-wants-you-to-believe-it-will
#tech #apple #iphone #climate
The United States and China are increasingly positioning one another as geopolitical foes, and that’s leading to reductive nationalist narratives that distract from tech’s real harms.
On #TechWontSaveUs, I spoke to @5b56a641 about the need to look at the United States and China more objectively if we want to truly understand the threats posed to us by technologies emanating from both countries.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004689/13580847-how-us-china-rivalry-distracts-from-tech-harms-w-yangyang-cheng
#tech #china #unitedstates #politics
We often hear about the challenges facing San Francisco, but we don’t hear nearly enough about how tech billionaires wield their power to serve themselves even if it means making life for everyone else harder.
On #TechWontSaveUs, I spoke with SF District 5 Supervisor @a8498aa1 about the robotaxi chaos in the city and the many ways the tech industry tries to shape local politics for their ends.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004689/13544176-how-tech-wields-its-power-in-san-francisco-w-dean-preston
#tech #sf #politics
The more data the automakers suck from cars, the better it is for dominant clouds providers like Amazon and Google. They’re making transportation worse with mass data collection and further cementing the power of some of the worst companies in the world.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/5/23859450/bmw-aws-cloud-autonomous-driving-data
#tech #cars #amazon #google
Tech billionaires seem to think they’re some of the most persecuted people in the world because they’re no longer being endlessly praised, and they’re turning to faith to keep people on side.
Earlier this month, I broke down the techno-optimism cult.
https://www.disconnect.blog/p/the-religion-of-techno-optimism
#tech #marcandreessen #a16z #eacc
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