Here's how I build civic tech, and how I think about AI.

I build software that helps people find coherence within flawed information environments.

This includes Wardroom, Radar, and Stop the Datacentre.

I develop and use machine learning models because I think they are genuinely useful for organizing information.

My concern regarding AI datacentres boils down to a lack of good governance. Regulations haven't caught up to what is essentially a new type of land-use and this is being exploited to benefit a few at the expense of many.

FAQ

Do you use AI?

Yes.

Do you oppose AI?

No. AI is an ambiguous term for a large set of tools with highly disparate uses. Some of those uses are ruinous to society. Some of them I find genuinely terrifying. Some are unequivocally beneficial.

Why are you involved with/why did you start Stop the Datacentre?

Upper levels of government have declined to regulate the physical infrastructure of AI. This means municipalities are the last thing standing between an appropriately wary public and a booming, unregulated industry.

Does Stop the Datacentre run on AI?

No. Stop the Datacentre uses a combination of traditional software and locally-trained and operated machine learning models to monitor public information sources and help volunteers keep track of new developments. These tools also help alert communities to incoming AI datacentres in the earliest planning stages, when they are easiest to stop and hardest to detect. They do not write anything or replace human judgment.