Under its Presidency of the European Council, the Government will host an International AI Summit tomorrow Wednesday, 14th October at the RDS in Dublin 4. The event will be opened by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and will be dominated by Big Tech speakers.
An anti AI/data centres protest - ‘Energy Vampires and Job Robbers Not Welcome’ - will take place at the RDS from 11am tomorrow.
Paul Murphy TD said:
“Tomorrow’s Summit is a Government sponsored AI jamboree, dominated by Big Tech speakers, to drive through the policies Big Tech wants to benefit their data centres and AI.
“The reality is that AI data centres are the toxic waste of the 21st century. They consume almost a quarter of our electricity, paying just half the electricity rate that households must pay, and driving up electricity prices for everybody else. They are consuming increasing volumes of our water and making it impossible to meet our climate targets. This is the inevitable outcome of a Government that puts itself at the service of Big Tech regardless of the consequences for the rest of society.
“In contrast to the Government's slavish devotion to Big Tech’s profits, resistance to data centres is emerging rapidly across the country. People do not want to waste our electricity, gas and water on running algorithms that target our children with harmful material, that take workers’ jobs and undermine our artists and creators.”
AI Summit protest organiser, Alexandra Day said
“Workers are being told that AI will transform the world of work as their concerns grow about automation and job security. We cannot allow an AI boom that concentrates profits in the hands of a few corporations while workers and the public bear the costs in energy, infrastructure and insecurity. Our energy and resources should serve people, not the profits of Big Tech.
“Local communities are getting organised against data centres across the country and campaigners will protest at the AI Summit at the RDS at 11am tomorrow. We say ‘Energy Vampires and Job Robbers Not Welcome’.”