An ex-programmers devastating take on AI data centers is going viral and its hard to ignore

Date:
Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Description:
A viral speech from an ex-programmer opposing a new Ohio data center highlights the growing backlash against the real-world environmental and economic costs of powering AI

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter A former programmers anti-data-center speech is going viral because it cuts through AI hype and focuses on local costs Ohio has become a hotspot for backlash over data centers, with concerns over power, water, land use, and
tax breaks The bigger question is whether communities are being asked to sacrifice too much for too little in return Its not every day that a city council planning meeting goes viral, but a recent session in Ravenna, Ohio, has done exactly that.

The reason is a speech by ex-programmer, Mr. Hollingsworth, who delivers one of the cleanest and most articulate arguments yet against the construction of a massive AI data center . The clip has racked up 49 thousand likes on
Reddit, with one user commenting, God Damn that was good. Seriously this should be used as a script in every county these corporations are hustling. Article continues below You may like Sam Altman says ChatGPT water use claims are completely untrue' Surge in ultra-hot data centers is creating extreme heat islands 'I dont like it when doomers are out scaring people': Nvidia on why AI rhetoric damages America's chances to lead in the AI race A well-articulated argument against a new data center in Ohio from r/interestingasfuck Common arguments against AI Most of the common arguments against AI concern the dangers presented by chatbots from hallucinations that provide incorrect answers or the psychological dangers of believing the sycophantic leanings that most chatbots have.

Hollingsworths objection was about the more physical needs of AI the infrastructure and the potential damage it does to the environment. Hes talking about land, water, power, tax breaks, and how few jobs a giant data center may actually offer to the local economy.

We are being asked to drain our reservoirs so a chatbot can write a poem, or so a sheriff can generate a picture of himself standing next to Bigfoot, Hollingsworth says. Its a deliberately absurd image, and thats the point.

Hollingsworth starts his talk by challenging the idea that modern-day data centers can operate as a closed loop system, which doesn't waste water.
Closed loop uses circulating coolant through sealed systems, eliminating the need for constant water replenishment. Hollingsworth is skeptical that the forever chemicals produced in the cooling process wont eventually find their way back into the water table, no matter how many studies show otherwise. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. A major battleground
He goes on to tackle the myth that data centers bring jobs, and to mention
how excessive the power demands will be, and the quotes keep coming throughout:

They want us to trust a trillion dollar industry that tells us, with a straight face, that they can suck five million gallons of water out of our ground a day, use it as a liquid heat sink and return it to our rivers
without a single consequence, he says.

Ohio is becoming a major battleground over AI infrastructure, with
communities questioning whether the trade-offs are worth it. The push back feels less reactionary from somebody like Hollingsworth because of his credibility as an ex-programmer and working with AI models in the past. He frequently says that he is not against new technology or AI in particular,
but the costs required for it to run come at a price, and its one that the city and its residents will end up paying if the planning permission is given the go-ahead.

The progress of AI often feels inevitable and like it is happening without
our consent. It might feel like something that lives in the cloud, but speeches like this are a reminder that AI runs on very real resources. If a project consumes huge amounts of local resources and reshapes the community, but only creates very limited long-term work, then the usual argument for agreeing to data centers, that youll be left behind unless you agree, starts to lose a lot of its power. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. The best business laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best business laptops 1. Best overall: Dell Precision 5690 2. Best on a budget: Acer Aspire 5 3. Best MacBook: Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/an-ex-programmers-devastatin g-take-on-ai-data-centers-is-going-viral-and-its-hard-to-ignore


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)