This datacenter stuff is such populist brainrot.

Big Tech isn't exactly doing a great job of marketing them. Saying they're for AI while doing mass layoffs attributed to AI isn't a winning message.

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testfoobar 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Any individual layoff is truly awful.

But at the macro level, it is not really a big number so far. From ~2.48 million in 2023 to ~2.37million now. Or a 5% drop in employment in 3 years.

Fred: All Employees, Computer Systems Design and Related Services (CES6054150001)

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ces6054150001

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bblb 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Interesting stats to look at.

Is "Telecommunications" the only tech that's actually been steadily automating it's workforce since 2000:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES5051700001

edit: or is "Telecommunications" the old school landlines and such, and this is just the effect of the Internet

	▲	defrost 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		"Telecommunications" would have to, by any reasonable standard, include Telephonic Communications and the vast switching networks for voice. Clearly that's a domain that has been automating at the very least since the human operated plug and board switching centres with human operators that answered phones and hand routed calls left the network centres.

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pesus 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You'll need to compare how many job postings there are as well to get the full picture, especially for junior roles. That's one of the most contentious effects and has an outsized impact on society.

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rcpt 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Not much layoffs and they're probably due to the Trump #1 tax hikes on engineering anyway. But you can't say that without getting tariffed. Saying you're using AI is a much safer bet

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davkan 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

People don’t want to live next to a factory either. At least those make things and employ people in the community though.

	▲	an hour ago \| parent [-]
		[deleted]

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umeshunni 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

There's a class of people who'll run with it - the same people who were protesting 5G towers 5 years ago.

	▲	davkan 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		What? The people against datacenter construction are absolutely not the same as the people freaking out about 5g towers. The latter share circle on the venn diagram with horse paste connoisseurs.

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aaron695 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[dead]

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october8140 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I take it you don't live next to a data center.

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pesus 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It does seem most of the pro-AI people aren't actually affected by any of the negative aspects of it. It's a lot easier to be in favor of something that doesn't actually affect you or anyone you care about.

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rcpt 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Most everybody isn't affected by data center build outs.

	▲	Tanoc 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		It appears to be not so much about the datacenters themselves as it is limiting the growth capabilities for the LLMs. From their understanding fewer datacenters means more congestion which means less possibility LLMs can be shoved into more places where the public thinks they are intrusive. Which seems to be everywhere.
	▲	pesus 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		Maybe not, but the people near them sure are. And the majority of people are definitely impacted by the downstream effects.
	▲	georgemcbay 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Some people have empathy for those who are, even if they are not. I don't live anywhere near SpaceX's methane monstrosity in Memphis, but I still think it shouldn't exist because of the negative impact it has on the people who live near it. And I still think Anthropic became fully complicit by renting it out.

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umeshunni 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Very similar to the pro-illegal immigration crowd

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jldugger 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Most of the datacenters in my city are concentrated near the warehouse zoned area by the expressway, railroad and interstate leading to the airport. Basically nobody lives there, and those that do are probably much better off now that the diesel trains no longer running.

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aschla 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

That's a zoning issue the local residents should take up with their town/city.

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runtime_terror 4 hours ago | parent [-]

But isn't the parent post implying objections to datacenters is just "populist brainrot"?

	▲	hunterpayne 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		The stated reasons are "populist brainrot". They aren't scientific or based on reality at all. What has happened is the AI folks have made themselves very very disliked. Saying you are going to take everyone's jobs will do that. So whatever they try to do, people will oppose it. It doesn't matter if the reasons are based in reality or not.
	▲	aschla 3 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		The average person's inattention to nuance could be labeled as "populist brainrot" in this case, and the cases of poor zoning could be used as examples of the issues with datacenters that the average person does not evaluate with the proper attention to nuance.

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phendrenad2 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I live near a datacenter, well, technically, there's a farm on one side and an abandoned factory on the other side. Tell me, is living in one or the other optimal to be able to participate in this discussion without being dismissed?