[Media] Antonio Casilli for France 24 English on Data Centers

On Wednesday, October 21, Antonio Casilli, founder of DiPLab, was invited by François Picard to take part in a debate on France 24 English, in a programme entitled “AI on the Ballot? Voters in US Midterms Revolt Against Data Centres.”

During the programme, Antonio reminded the audience that data centres, in addition to consuming vast amounts of energy, water and other resources, require very little human labour once they have been built. As a result, they generate few employment opportunities in the long term.

A documentary excerpt also showed how the constant low-frequency humming noise produced by the cooling fans of data centre servers can negatively affect the health and quality of life of neighbouring residents, while also driving down property values.

Antonio also pointed out that, until recently, data centres were predominantly located in the Global North, with around 40% of them in the United States. However, they are increasingly being established in the Global South, where land is cheaper, regulations are often less stringent, and water, energy and other resources can be extracted more easily.

Later in the debate, Antonio challenged the idea that tech titans could be considered philanthropists. He analysed their recent outbursts of charity, such as Elon Musk’s proposal to give every child in the United States a share of SpaceX, arguing that such gestures could be understood as attempts to appease public anger and pre-empt calls for the nationalisation of their companies.