Having instant answers at one's beck and call would seem to be a dream come true. Ask any question and get an almost instant answer, complete with citations and statistics. What would have seemed like magic but a few years ago is now becoming commonplace.
Artificial intelligence is here, and it's not going away. The question then becomes, "How do we regulate it?"
And there is no doubt that regulation is needed, if not because of its outsized social influence on people's lives, then because of its huge demands upon the environment and its resources. Consider, for example, the following A.I centre being planned by Kevin O'Leary for Alberta:
The project is planned for approximately 65 square kilometres owned by the Municipal District of Greenview, including Crown land transferred to them in a series of purchase agreements. A plot that size would fit about 130 West Edmonton Malls.
Physicist Robert Davies has a well-considered description of such megaprojects:
“From here on, I’ll refer to these energy-and-heat behemoths—massive compute fused with massive power generation—as Gigascale AI Smelters, smelting data and material strip-mined from people and planet.”
At a realistic generation efficiency for a gas plant, Davies said supplying 9 GW of electricity would mean “burning fuel at a continuous rate on the order of 16 to 18 GW, day and night, year-round.”
And this project cannot be looked upon in isolation.
Because numerous companies are already extracting resources from the area, creating “dense access networks through the surrounding forest,” Davies said cumulative effects studies should be done and a “whole systems analysis” is needed.
Wonder Valley is proposed in a region struggling with drought conditions, about 460 kilometres north of Edmonton, near Grande Prairie, Alberta, sitting on one of the world’s largest gas deposits, the Montney Formation.
“Everything is connected: feedback loops in complex systems like this mean effects of one kind generate other effects of other kinds,” Davies wrote.
“Essentially the entire fuel burn ends up as heat released at the site, because the electricity is consumed onsite and degrades, in full, to heat.”
An open house was held to 'allay' concerns, but judging by some of the comments, it did not achieve its objective.
Ret Louise, another Grande Prairie resident, posted her concerns on Facebook after attending the open house, asking “why should anyone trust what Kevin O’Leary says?” Louise added that ordinary Albertans are left bearing the risks of billionaires granted approvals without Indigenous consultation.
She emphasized the need to protect water resources and air quality, mitigate impacts to wildlife, and align major projects with the province’s long-term interests. Sturgeon Lake is preparing to argue in court that the Crown failed to uphold its duty to consult with the First Nation in granting a water licence for Wonder Valley. O’Leary is challenging the Nation’s assertion the municipality had a duty to consult.
It would be foolish to look upon this megaproject as a one-off, and signs are that the public is becoming increasingly concerned about environmental and quality of life issues surrounding A.I. data centres. For example, a recent committee of adjustment meeting in Hamilton drew hundreds to the council chambers over a proposed severance of land to facilitate the building of one on former Stelco lands. Their collective voice was so strong that the severance was denied. That doesn't mean the project will not ultimately come to fruition, but at least a public obstacle has been placed in the path to development.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government have embraced A.I. as one of the keys to Canada's future. One can only hope that future is not embraced at any cost.
