To the Editor:

In the movie, Jurassic Park, Dr. Ian Malcom says, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” 

We live in a fast changing environment when it comes to technology, and we are asked to accept that certain developments are inevitable. We’re told that AI is here to stay, and we’re expected to get on board. A great deal of computing power is needed, and data centers are proposed everywhere, especially in rural areas like ours, 11 proposed for St. Lawrence County. This steam-roller approach strikes me as odd. Shouldn’t developers of new technologies need to prove their safety and efficacy before being allowed to go ahead, rather than the citizenry having the burden of proof that they are not safe, and not the best solution economically?

Talking about hand in hand with data centers is nuclear power generation. We’re told that “new” reactors are safer. It has been proven that no amount of exposure to radiation is healthy, and numerous studies have shown strong correlation between proximity to nuclear facilities and many types of cancer, as well as immune dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, stroke, infertility, and disruption of pregnancy. Instead of taking action regarding these findings, the president has issued an executive order instructing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to revise its standards, allowing greater doses of radiation to be considered safe, and changing the way exposures are calculated. 

Governor Hochul wants 5 gigawatts of nuclear power in NY state. Assemblyman Gray has said that “large…data centers are exactly what can help make new nuclear projects bankable”. I include his statement because of the word “bankable”. Another movie quote:“Deep Throat” told the reporters investigating Watergate to “follow the money”. Who gains from the explosion of data centers, and the accompanying deployment of nuclear power? Who are the handful of men who stand to make billions selling AI tools to corporations, and to the government (at least partly for greatly enhanced surveillance)? The workers in the tech industry are definitely not the winners. One tech executive recently told me that there are currently many layoffs happening in his company—he hopes he keeps his job—and these are people who have been there for a decade or more. “When you lose that job, it isn’t like there are greener pastures somewhere else”—it’s happening everywhere.

Reasons for moratoria on data centers and nuclear plants are numerous. Politicians need to consider safety, cost, and most importantly, the people they represent and protection of our earth and water. One last quote, from Albert Einstein,”It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” These advancements inevitable? Who says?

Paul Petroccione
Canton