> So what do we do? First, recognize that this is a problem that cannot be solved on an individual level and requires collective action. We can advocate for these technologies to be regulated. We can adopt AI policies in our own projects that spell out acceptable and responsible uses. We can show up at city councils that pass sweetheart deals to bring in hyperscale data centers and push back.

Using the same cars analogy, things got better only because it finally became financially viable to manufacture and run electric vehicles.

Would running data centers on renewable energy make things better? Probably not much, I'm sure most are already looking into getting the cheapest energy sources anyways.

Regulation is probably coming though, once Google and Meta and Apple and Microsoft and every big corporation get their hands on as much data as humanly possible, be it through selling you Ray-Bans or by screenshotting your desktop every 10 seconds or by scanning all the images on your phone and sending the metadata to the cloud for "censorship and safety". For the past 5 years every big corporation has probably breached so many lines to acquire this data, and then at some point, they will lobby to make it harder for everyone else, as they have done so before.

I hate to sound defeatist, but there is genuinely very little we can do anymore. I'd love to hear comments on any actionable suggestions that can be done by any of us. Especially concerning this data breach issue which has never deterred the FAANG, worst case they'll pay a few million down the line from some class action lawsuits.