Russell suggests that a better approach would be to focus on more sustainable innovations, such as mesh networks and indigenous data privacy initiatives. These initiatives allow communities to set up data privacy controls and internet connectivity on their own terms, reducing reliance on big tech companies. She believes that by highlighting examples of sustainable technology design, it's possible to critique and imagine alternatives to the large, environmentally and socially unsustainable technologies currently in use.
Key takeaways:
- AI computing is becoming an environmental hazard due to the high power and water consumption of data centers and GPUs used to train models.
- Major tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Meta are trying to offset this environmental impact with sustainability programs, but these are mostly seen as clever marketing.
- Adrienne Russell, co-director of the Center for Journalism, Media, and Democracy at the University of Washington, suggests that the tech industry's portrayal of digital innovation as compatible with sustainability is misleading.
- Russell proposes focusing on more sustainable innovations like mesh networks and indigenous data privacy initiatives, which allow communities to set up data privacy controls and internet connectivity on their own terms.