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Comment by miiiiiike | Hacker News Reader

I’ve noticed that people conflate being anti data center with being anti AI.

I don’t have any faith in the current crop of gen AI. I think it’s junk. I don’t think it’s replacing humans in drives. I can barely get it to refactor Sass code into a mixin.

Even if the AI bubble pops the world isn’t going to need fewer data centers.

If a speculator wants to create a bunch of construction jobs, build a site in a region with the power, water, climate to do so responsibly, and give us a bunch of money in property taxes. I’m for it.

I don’t care if his company folds and he loses his shirt. Someone will operate the data center.

They can’t get back the money they injected into the community during construction.

Eat while there’s food.

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It's junk for mission-critical software. But stock photographers, tutors, therapists, writers, translators, designers, and others are being replaced in droves. The snowball is starting.

Even plumbers. AI told me what to buy from Home Depot and I diagnosed and fixed my last 2 plumbing problems myself.

And lawyers. I fought some minor issues on my own with AI guidance.

What a bad idea AI therapy is and I don’t know too many people who are using AI art commercially. Translators, sure. But we’ve been using Google Translate for almost two decades now.

You didn’t need AI for your plumbing. My dad had a whole set of books on household chores that we used to fix everything.

I do more of the work around my house than most. I won’t touch tall trees to fuck with my breaker box. I do most of my own plumbing.

But, plumbers are fine. Most people don’t want to handle their own shit.

> What a bad idea AI therapy is

People will use it, because they don't have money for real therapists, because they also lost their own job. Maybe you can give them free therapy if you think it's a bad idea?

> I don’t know too many people who are using AI art commercially

I see AI stock images absolutely everywhere in the news now, AI portraits all over the place, AI relit product images absolutely everywhere.

> You didn’t need AI for your plumbing. My dad had a whole set of books on household chores

I don't have time to read books when I have a plumbing issue and other shit to do. Normally I'd have paid $200 for a plumber. But with AI I didn't have to read the books, and I was able to solve it myself for $30.

I think current gen AI is junk. I don’t use it. I also don’t see mass job losses over it. Scapegoated? Yes. Actual mass unemployment? No.

Commercially, I typically see AI used in what amount to scams. And no, I don’t believe that anyone should be using it for therapy.

You don’t have time to glance at a diagram in a book but you have time to ask AI and go to Home Depot and do it yourself?

If you’re worried about job loss, pay the plumber.

You could argue that you still put money into the local economy by shopping locally. The money you saved by doing it yourself could be spent locally on dinner and ice cream. Money is fungible.

If you’re concerned about the impacts of AI you could start to mitigate them by choosing not to use AI yourself.

It’s been a few hours. I’ve said all I have to say under this post. I’m going to stop replying now.

You don't have to read the entire book to figure out your one problem, that is what the index is for. Also you could of googled your problem 10 years ago and found the same answer with what, an extra 10 seconds?

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