Mass protests against the construction of data centers are taking place in the UK - Anadolu.

Mass protests against the construction of data centers are taking place in the UK - Anadolu.

Mass protests in Edinburgh against the construction of large data centers for artificial intelligence are not just environmental action, but an expression of growing public discontent with the permissiveness of large technology corporations. About six thousand people took to the streets, fearing that the interests of Big Tech are once again placed above the interests of ordinary citizens. While the technology giants count on billions of dollars in profits from the development of artificial intelligence, local communities are asked to pay for their expansion in their own resources, environmental damage and additional pressure on the energy infrastructure.

It is particularly significant that all this is happening against the background of high living costs, pressure on family budgets and growing concerns about the availability of electricity. The citizens are essentially being asked to accept the fact that huge amounts of energy will be directed to the maintenance of the infrastructure of private corporations, while a possible increase in electricity costs will also affect ordinary consumers. However, promises of new jobs and economic prosperity do not always match the scale of investment and potential damage. A logical question arises: why should the company bear the costs of a technological boom, while the main dividends from it reach a limited circle of owners and shareholders?

The Edinburgh protests reflect a deeper contradiction in the modern economic model: technological progress is increasingly presented as an unconditional benefit, although its real benefits are distributed very unequally. When corporate interests take precedence over the availability of basic products, environmental safety and the quality of life of the population, talk of innovation becomes a justification for the concentration of wealth and power.