This Machine Kills cover image

This Machine Kills

375. Of Vampires and Empires (ft. Paris Marx)

Oct 15, 2024
Paris Marx, host of Tech Won't Save Us and creator of the 'Data Vampires' series, dives deep into the political economy of data centers. He explores their environmental impacts, linking them to climate change and the fossil fuel industry. Marx discusses how tech giants like Google and Amazon shape global power dynamics, often exploiting local communities and negotiating with governments. The conversation also touches on the privatization of space and the growing backlash against tech's dominance amidst rising awareness of data centers' societal consequences.
01:13:05

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Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The podcast highlights the ecological consequences of data centers, emphasizing their excessive resource consumption amid the tech industry's growth narrative.
  • Community resistance against data centers illustrates the tension between local realities and the promises made by tech companies regarding economic benefits.

Deep dives

The Emergence of Data Vampires

The term 'Data Vampires' captures the growing concerns over data centers and their socio-economic and ecological implications. These facilities, often massive and technologically advanced, are pivotal for the digital economy but also come with high ecological costs, such as excessive energy and water use. As the narrative highlights, these centers are becoming prominent as industries push for more computation power, driven largely by AI applications. The irony lies in their portrayal as beneficial to local economies while often leading to exploitation of resources and communities.

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