Should AI generated posts be banned or otherwise regulated?

@elliottbnewcombjr 

Well, it's not that simple. Consider that a 2026 smartphone has more power than the entire worldwide computational capacity available in 1966. Ten years later:

In 1976, a single Cray-1 supercomputer could perform roughly 160 megaflops (160 million floating-point operations per second), a 2026 flagship smartphone (like a projected iPhone 17/18 or Galaxy S26) will likely operate in the range of 2,000+ gigaflops, making it tens of thousands of times faster.

Why is this relevant? Because

The Cray-1 supercomputer consumed approximately 115 kW to 135 kW of power for the processor and memory alone. When including the required Freon-based cooling system and storage, total power consumption often exceeded 200 kW, enough energy to power dozens of homes.

So tens of thousands of Cray-1s would literally consume as much energy as a small US city. Yet their contemporary computational counterpart, the smartphone, sips less than a night light. 

It's not hard to imagine that the energy footprint of AI generation will follow a similar pattern. Right now AI is in its infancy, new models must be generated from scratch, wild west-style competition causes duplication of effort. New ways to make AI as frugal as a smartphone will be discovered, likely by AI itself.

So AI's current power needs justifiably cause concern, but are unlikely to remain so decades from now. As always, no tree grows to the sky.

btw, those two paragraphs are from the report, I forgot to say 'exerpt' and put quote marks, sorry.

@elliottbnewcombjr 

The article you shared was published in May, 2025. Light years in what one proposed last year, fast forward to now. 

The real story, as of the this year, is the pushback on data centers and how it is being recognized for what it is - a movement wholly driven by the monies from the top 7 companies in America that is being financed by Wall Street who sells it to the public while wrangling for local resources that are in short supply. They find the weakest links - typically desperate rural areas with local governments that can be easily manipulated by money - in America. 

"As of early 2026, local, bipartisan activism has successfully blocked or delayed over $64 billion in data center projects". 

What I find daunting is that these companies leading the charge are financing it, not using their own revenue to build, complete, and depreciate. Instead, they are borrowing, build, complete and eventually, abandon. There is literally no way the taxpayer or public is going to win this fight or walk away better than before. 

It will most certainly be a relative topic this November. I don't find too many *except for Devin* who are excited about it.

@devinplombier 

The Solow productivity paradox is the observed contradiction between massive investments in information technology (IT) and sluggish productivity growth, famously summarized by Robert Solow in 1987: "You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics". Despite rapid digital advancements, measured economic output per worker has often failed to accelerate correspondingly, particularly in the 1970s-80s and again in the 2010s.

In the 1960s,, predictions suggested that rapid advancements in computing and automation would power the American economy, with 37 experts advising President Johnson in 1964 that a "Triple Revolution" of technological change would displace workers. However, this led to the 1987 Solow productivity paradox, which observed that computers were visible everywhere except in productivity statistics, as adoption did not initially boost efficiency

The current data that has been observed does not represent an AI curve. So far, AI is doing just what technology has done in the past - fail to deliver.

What your writings conclude is just what we already knew. America cannot build a battery. We suck at it. In fact, we lost. Game over. 

Personally, I would buy a Chinese BYD car tomorrow if one came on the lot. Half the cost of an American EV. 

And there are Chinese cars creeping over the borders in Texas via Mexico as we speak. 

Chinese-made vehicles, banned from direct US sale in 2025 due to national security and data risks, are appearing in Texas border cities like El Paso via a Mexico loophole. Residents are spotting brands such as BYD and Geely, brought over by Mexican residents legally allowed to drive foreign-registered vehicles.

All of that data came from AI. So powerful you can't argue with me!

@goodlistening64 

I was not arguing the merits (or demerits) of AI. I was pointing out that if broad tech history is any indication, AI's energy footprint will plummet in the future even as its output increases exponentially. 

Whether that's good or bad... is another conversation 😃

America cannot build a battery. We suck at it.

Tesla builds plenty of batteries, as do many others. If you meant to say "America cannot build a battery cheaper than the Chinese", then you are right.

In fact, we lost. Game over.

Yeah? Could be worse. We could be Europe 😂