An initial report of the events at the Atlantic Convergence conference, which ended three days of activity in Lisbon on October 1, shows that the focus of attention this year has shifted from harmonising legislation to the “unprecedented scale of AI infrastructure” required for the revolution now in progress.
This meeting of more than 1,000 top executives of the industrial corporations based on both sides of the Atlantic was backed by leaders of telecoms and data-centre operators. It was, therefore, understandable that the deliberations of those convened should be directed towards assembling the investment partnerships which could advance the burgeoning AI enterprise to fruition and profit.
Various moguls of Portuguese real estate were there as consultants for the acquisition of sites for building the massive structures which are projected for our homeland and the luxurious housing which will be required by technocrats.
Quite rightly, concern was expressed for the ability of governance to meet the anticipated enormous demand for energy and water the providers of which are presently hard-pressed to meet domestic needs. It was anticipated that “facilities dedicated to AI will see an isolated 50% jump in power”.
The CEO of MEO reported that Portugal is already home to 8,000 km of fibre optic paths and expressed confidence that expansion of renewable sources would generate the massive sustainability required by the AI data hubs. However, she was unable to give either an estimate of the area of rural land which would be required for the mounting of solar panels and windmills or the cost of alternatives such as nuclear power.
For that matter, no mention was made of the consequences which would be suffered by the social housing programme due to the deployment of labour and materials for building the proposed AI infrastructure.
The general impression given by the conference report is that the growing public manifestation of unease and consequent opposition to the imposition of the new digital economy is a political matter for governments to resolve.
The persuasive mantras of “an opportunity not to be missed” and “for the good of the nation” are reminiscent of the propaganda used several years ago by mining companies wishing to obtain concessions for the exploitation of Portuguese mineral assets. Today, of course, we are being asked to de-regulate and speed the advancement of a new technology about which little is known.
In a press release issued on October 5, Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) stated that he believes the world should accept “bad things” happening with AI as an exchange for the benefits of an innovative technology and the ability of people to have an agency which will completely alter their culture for particular betterment.
The definition of “people” is not clear, but one could be forgiven for assuming that this means the elite of a society which has allegiance only to digital values that begin and stay at the top echelon.
The EU must resist the overtures of these oligarchic titans who seek dominance in its domain for a complex technology which claims to be safe by self-regulation and almighty through seemingly invincible financial power.
Brussels has already taken a tiny step towards the preservation of its cosmos by allocating €10 billion from EU funds towards an initiative for establishing up to seven AI Gigafactories which will supplement the existing network of 20 smaller units.
Coordination and the assembly of an additional costing estimated at €20 billion is the responsibility of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking, which is charged with ensuring that sovereignty over the AI systems created for governance remains solely with the EU.
This principle of autonomy is to be tested by the Cloud and AI Development Act, which is a proposal of the Commission made in June. This will seek to grade in importance the security levels of AI services so that the most precarious are controlled and, hopefully, owned by Europeans.
Even so, such autonomy will always be under threat from intrusion by former allies and implosion by fractious member nations of a Union which lacks the status, authority and strength of a Federation.
Complete independence from the machinations of the “magnificent seven” U.S. corporations and the contemporary giants of China is an impossibility in the brave new digital world. The genie is well and truly out of the bottle. We can only hope that he is of a benevolent disposition.