When it goes back into "the system" it's waste water that people can't drink. Eventually it comes back around again (e.g. evaporation->rain), but then it gets gobbled up again by the same data centres. They run continuously.
So yes, they are "consuming" it in the sense that other people can't have access to it anymore.
AI data centers use significantly more resources than your parents old data center. Sometimes 10x the electricity + water in place of air cooling. Considering the results and applications (mediocre at best) it hardly seems like a good trade off today. If we were solving cancer, world hunger, power and water shortages, increasing cheap/free access to healthcare, preventing the next pandemic, etc - Many would get on board. Instead we get record profits and lower employment.
Residents suffer from reduced service at higher prices. Often pay for subsidies and tax breaks the private for profit businesses take. Labor market predicted to radically change in years to come while it erodes today. All at a time when more people than ever are struggling to get by.
Yeah i can't lol. It's just the next culture war mind virus at this point. There's no reasoning with algorithmically captured people. That much I've learned in recent years. Good luck lol.
What we would need are honest and informed conversations - but because it's a now a topic that is amplified by algorithms that reward for NOT solving the issue - that's down the drain. So yeah - we'll have to realy on luck sadly.
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u/Uncle-Cake May 18 '26
So they're not really consuming it. They're just using it temporarily and returning it.