Karen Hao's Book Casts AI as Colonial Power, Citing 1,000x Chile Water Use
Updated
Updated · Democracy Now! · Jul 3
Karen Hao's Book Casts AI as Colonial Power, Citing 1,000x Chile Water Use
3 articles · Updated · Democracy Now! · Jul 3
Summary
Karen Hao argues in "Empire of AI" that Silicon Valley's scale-at-all-costs AI model concentrates political and economic power while driving social, labor and environmental harm.
Two-thirds of planned data centers are in water-scarce areas, she said, and McKinsey estimates AI's buildout could add electricity demand equal to 2 to 6 Californias within five years, largely met by fossil fuels.
In Chile, Hao said Google proposed a data center that would use 1,000 times more freshwater than a local community consumes annually, prompting activists to stall the project for 4 to 5 years and win talks with the government.
In Kenya, she said OpenAI contractors paid workers only a few dollars an hour to label toxic content, exposing them to psychological trauma while helping build commercially viable AI safety filters.
Hao links those patterns to OpenAI's rise under Sam Altman, arguing the company shifted from nonprofit ideals to a capital-intensive model chasing tens of billions of dollars and increasingly courting defense contracts.
With OpenAI losing billions while eyeing a trillion-dollar IPO, is the AI industry an economic bubble about to burst?
As AI's thirst drains local water and energy supplies, is its promised future worth the environmental cost we pay today?
With its leader accused of a 'pattern of lying,' can OpenAI be trusted to develop world-altering technology for humanity's benefit?
Water Wars in the Age of AI: Google’s Chile Data Center and the Fight for Sustainable Tech Growth
Overview
Google’s plan to build a major data center in Santiago, Chile, highlights the growing global demand for AI infrastructure and the environmental challenges that come with it. After securing permits in 2020, Google faced strong pushback from local communities and civil society, who raised concerns about water use and transparency, especially as Chile suffers from ongoing drought. Their persistent advocacy forced decision-makers to reconsider the project’s environmental risks, leading Google to redesign its plans to reduce the data center’s footprint. This case reflects a broader trend of communities demanding accountability from tech giants as AI infrastructure expands worldwide.