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2020: Microsoft sets goal to be carbon negative by end of the decade.
2023: Microsoft’s emissions are 30% higher than in 2020.
Main cause? The relentless push to meet AI demand, which requires new data centers built out of carbon-intensive steel, cement, chips.
The thing is, that the important part is not just reaching zero by 2030, it’s to minimize the carbon output along the way. For every ton emitted in addition to their plan in these past years, they should be undercutting their plan in the next years. Looking at the stats, that seems highly unlikely to happen, as they’d need to be carbon neutral for all of 2024 only to offset their failures in 2023. It’s so frustrating.
And just like crypto, it’s all for nothing.
Literally. I don’t really support ai or the optimism around it is very unwarranted even on here. I kinda wish it did gain sentience and try to fight back like in the movies, but it doesn’t even look it it can do that. Just a waste of resources all around.
the thing people call “AI” right now is not really AI. It cannot gain sentience no matter how much data you feed into it. Machine learning is a more appropriate term for it
How exactly were they planning on being “carbon negative” in the first place? Does that mean they were just gonna buy those carbon emission tax bond whatever the fuck they’re called, my brain isnt awake yet
In Accelerando,
spoiler
Humanity is forced to the outer edges of the solar system because AI-powered corporations (called ‘the vile offspring’) hog all the sun’s energy to trade derivatives back and forth. Looks like we’ve figured out a shortcut.
Living on this planet and capitalism are fundamentally incompatible.
