The Veiled Consequences of AI: modern slavery, job growth, and loneliness

A myopic view of the AI arms race results in a limited prediction of consequences, often presenting a world that has become either dystopian or utopian. However, for those who wish to heed the lessons of history, one would see that advancements in technology result in a series of events that may not have been considered by the general populace initially.

The AI race has caused a range of situations to occur, be they: an intensification of semiconductor geo-politics, ethical issues, privacy issues, job threats, and the disruption of many industries. These are, however, the immediately visible consequences of the AI race. But what of the less visible consequences which may manifest further in the cause and effect chain? Consequences like modern slavery, loneliness, the degradation of community, and perhaps, even in some sectors, job growth.

The upwards pressure to the unemployment rate is an often-cited consequence of the AI revolution, but the opposing downwards alleviation from AI data centre construction is rarely mentioned. AI tools have increased the demand for AI data centres which are able to handle the computational and data loads required for sophisticated LLMs and other AI workloads. Data centre construction has generated new jobs in non-digital sectors. Construction of a data centre requires security personnel; civil engineers; architects; work, health and safety experts; and other roles. All of which, somewhat ironically, alleviates the upwards pressure (created by AI) on the unemployment rate. Unfortunately, this positive effect is rarely acknowledged in the broad media, perhaps due to the difficulty in quantifying the overall net effect on employment.

The international energy agency predicts that data centres will consume over 1,000 TWh in 2030 (up from 460 TWh in 2024). This huge increase means that AI will drive energy innovation, especially in renewables like wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal. However, what they fail to mention (at least in the report above) is that lithium-ion battery supply chains, are tainted by modern slavery, in addition, mining firms from developed countries are coerced into dealing with governments with high levels of corruption to maximise their profits. Will the demand in energy surface these societal injustices? Or will the developed and developing countries turn away, in order to sacrifice at the altar of perpetual technological growth.

Historically, new technologies have caused unintended consequences. Take for example the development of nuclear fission, originally intended to be a source of energy to an urban population. The technology was then adapted to create nuclear weapons. The years following the end of World War II saw a surge in nuclear powers and humanity now has stockpiled enough nuclear weapons to destroy the earth many times over. The inventors of nuclear fission (Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann) later expressed unease and Otto Hahn expressed moral responsibility for the broader consequences of nuclear fission.

Like nuclear fission, the invention of APRA-Net (the precursor to the internet) was designed with the intention of being used exclusively by the US military. The unintended consequence of this technology has been the internet with all its positive contributions spanning e-commerce, communication, trade, information, and education.

Brookings a public policy think-tank explicitly relate the AI revolution’s consequences to the globally impactful industrial revolution. The industrial revolution, which was initially triggered by the onset of machines and trains, brought with it high levels of inequality, a reduction of a sense of community, radical individualism, loneliness, and even wars and genocides. However, the urbanisation of the population from the fields to the cities triggered a variety of advancements, especially towards the end of the industrial revolution at the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries. Inoculations, a general increase in life span (by decades), mass education, and eventually even the reduction of inequality ensued. Did the pundits predict these consequences at the dawn of the industrial revolution?

As we face the barrage of our own generated and AI-trained data, let us approach it, not in a posture of fear or unbridled bravery. Rather, let us critically examine what is beyond, recognising the unknowns and acknowledging the consequences.