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Two Amazon employees On Wednesday he publicly called for legislation new data centertelling elected officials in Seattle that the unstoppable development of the highly controversial AI space threatens the environment, the economy, and security.
“Local governments, in partnership with community stakeholders, need to develop data center infrastructure,” Amazon chief software engineer Liesl Wigand said at a city meeting. “Let’s not let big tech burn Seattle to win the AI race.”
The comments by Wigand and another Amazon engineer, Patrick Schloesser, reflect a growing wave of protests in the US against fast-track construction. data center over the past few years. While employees at several major tech companies, including Amazon, have complained about the negative effects of data centers and the need for more oversight, no one believes they’ve done so openly and clearly before, according to job organizers supporting the effort in Seattle.
Schloesser, who has been at Amazon for about six years, said the data center should provide more energy than it consumes and provide energy storage to support the large power grid. Schloesser also called for new taxes on tech companies and “employee-led safety committees that report to the city” about any AI tools that are “at risk” in Seattle. Tech companies are eager to have the data centers built, giving Seattle an opportunity to wring money from them, Schloesser said.
All of the employees who spoke are members of a group of current and former employees known as Amazon Employees for Climate Justice who have taken action. long period of stimulation for the company to deal with the environmental problem of its business. Additional members of the group may speak at other city meetings where a one-year moratorium on data centers is expected to come up for discussion, including Wednesday. Amazon Employees for Climate Justice is also urging city officials to discuss data center laws with groups representing front-line workers such as labor unions.
Tech and construction companies have announced plans to spend hundreds of billions to build more warehouses in the US to support strong demand for artificial intelligence chatbots and other AI technology. Regions in almost all areas they agreed against the projects, citing concerns electricity and using water, toxic waste, bad breath, noise, taxesand if the AI is the same art worthy of progress.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Other tech giants, incl Microsoft and Googlethey have recently tried to restrict their data storage operations and move forward with possible legislation across the country by promoting a commitment to transparency and environmental protection.
In Seattle, city officials are getting rich one year break in licensing data centers to allow time implementing regulations on projects. Seattle currently has no data center regulations, according to city history. The city he said it is home to some small data centers, but several companies have expressed interest in setting up “large infrastructure”. Their arrival can drive water and electricity rates for some residents and increase emissions while the city has little power to intervene.
