A push to expand artificial intelligence and datacentre infrastructure in Australia is raising concerns over potential downsides for workers, creators, and the economy. While proponents highlight the risks of human extinction as a distant threat, critics point to immediate challenges like copyright changes, energy demands, and job displacement. The Reserve Bank has also flagged datacentres as a factor in rising inflation, complicating the government’s efforts to justify the investments. Questions remain over whether the benefits will reach ordinary voters—or if the costs will outweigh the gains.
Albanese should tread carefully as he struggles to make case for how the new technology will benefit ordinary votersGet our daily political email, free app or daily news podcastWhen will Australia see the benefits of the AI and datacentre boom? So far, all we’ve seen is the possibility of changes to copyright which would hurt Australian creatives, special rules about power and water use, and the threat of mass displacement or replacement of workers, with the trade-off being a mere 10% chance of human extinction.Now add the Reserve Bank’s assessment this week that datacentres were part of growing “inflationary pressures” when lifting interest rates to an 18-year high.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...
