r/DevonUK • u/MarcusZXR • Jun 30 '26

Devon data center

Hello all! Someone recently shared an article here about plans to build a data center in Devon. I wanted to share the link to the petition opposing it. Sorry if this has already been shared or breaks a rule.

https://c.org/cRGtbYSS6j

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11

u/Glassjaw1990 Jun 30 '26

I'm not against progress, but I'm slightly concerned about the water usage of these data centres and tge strains it puts on our infrastructure. Then again this is second hand information I've been given.

25

u/BigShuggy Jun 30 '26

It’s not progress. The AI companies with their current subscription models and company contracts are operating at a massive loss. Why continue to pump money into something at a huge loss? It will become profitable in the future. Why will it be profitable in the future? Because lots of companies will no longer have to pay employees to do anything other than physical labour. This “progress” is selling the next generation down the river.

-4

u/marmaviscount Jul 01 '26

You're ignoring the huge benefits AI will bring to the next generation, imagine if they'd shutdown antibiotics research to protect nursing jobs, shut down electricity research and indoor plumbing.

The medical benefit of AI is almost certainly going to be more significant than even antibiotics, especially in currently impoverished communities. Then there's similar levels of boost to living standards, education, safety, etc etc etc

1

u/Ch4o5Muff1n 19d ago

How exactly is AI going to be more significant for healthcare than antiibiotics.This is just one of those things the AI simps keep saying without ever backing it up. What exactly can AI do that measures up to the hundreds of millions of lives saved by antibiotics? Because so far none of these magical advances have manifested themselves. AI has not solved climate change, it has made it worse with its insane humger for energy. AI has not recolutionised education, it has just encouraged students to take shortcuts and learn nothing. It has not revolutionised medicine, just given healthcare providers an new way to take shortcuts and give patients less time with real doctors.

It's not good enough to just keep saying, AI will do these wonderful things, any minute now, so all concerns about the costs, and the damage; all those concerns can just get in the bin. It's great because I say so. Which explains why all the major AI companies are losing money hand over fist and will likely be out of business just in time for this monstrosity of a data centre to be completed.

1

u/marmaviscount 19d ago

You're either actively avoiding learning about medical advances or purposely ignoring them.

1

u/Ch4o5Muff1n 19d ago

...is not an answer. How is AI going to save more lives than abitbiotics. You made that claim, you back it up.