America Trends Podcast

Underpinning the growing use of AI is the need for state-of-the-art data centers. These data centers host a large number of file servers and networking equipment that can store, process, and analyze text, images, code, and other information sources. While data centers have been around throughout the computer, internet and cloud eras none so big and controversial as these. One proposed in the state of Utah is larger than Manhattan. Really! The objection to these data centers has formed in red and blue states. The concerns relate to the impact on water supplies needed to cool them, particularly in the Southwest, the spikes in electricity costs, the noise emitted and the giveaways that communities and states have bestowed upon them even if the economic impact on the local workforce is not very impactful. Large tech companies are feeling the backlash and trying to develop community impact packages that deliver more to the sites where they are being built. More than 4,000 are already in operation and 3,000 more are being planned or under construction. To discuss this issue of growing importance is Darrell West, of Brookings, co-author of the book, “Turning Point: Policymaking in the Era of Artificial Intelligence.”

If you’re like many people, their mood is sour about their station in life and that of our nation. It is a malaise, of sorts. You can tell that Americans are struggling to determine who they are, their role in the world and what life is all about. These are high order issues that people are struggling to address. They are going to therapy, meditating, buying books and wellness products and yet often the answers are elusive. Our guest, University of Chicago professor, J. Eric Oliver, has taught a legendary course–The Intelligible Self–that students describe as life-changing. He has encapsulated his thoughts in this new book, “How to Know Your Self: The Art and Science of Discovering Who You Really Are.” He draws on insights from neuroscience, psychology, physics and ancient philosophy to explore the mystery of the self. Interspersed in this conversation and the book are practical insights into the process of living better. Let’s take a deep dive into a topic we all struggle with.