GET FACTS RIGHT

I’ve just watched a video about data centres that encouraged thousands of followers to share and repost. However, after doing some research, I believe some of the information may be misleading.

The video states that the first data centre in the United States was built in 1945 at the University of Pennsylvania, implying that today's AI data centres are essentially the same technology that has been around for over eighty years. That is not actually the case.

The 1945 Pennsylvania facility was associated with ENIAC, one of the world's first electronic computers, which was designed primarily for military and scientific calculations. It was not an AI data centre as we understand that term today. Modern AI data centres are a much more recent development, built specifically to train and operate artificial intelligence systems.

Whether someone supports AI, opposes it, or is undecided, is a separate discussion. My point is that accurate information matters. If we are serious about discovering truth and making informed decisions, we need to research claims for ourselves rather than accepting them just because they come from mainstream sources, alternative media, influencers, or ‘truthers’. This is what enables us to truly determine the role AI, and indeed all major developments, should play in shaping humanity's future.

The question is not whether data centres existed in 1945. They did. The question is whether a 1945 computer facility and a modern AI data centre are the same thing. They are not.

Our conclusions need to be based on the best information available, not on comparisons that blur important distinctions. Independent thinking only works if we apply the same standard to information whether we agree with it or not. Otherwise, we are just swapping one authority for another.

Love,

Sandy Stevenson

3.6.26