Powering AI from the Borderlands: Organizing Against Data Centers

Описание: In this roundtable discussion, community advocates from two Borderland regions of the US Southwest—Doña Ana County, NM and Imperial County, CA—detail their experiences organizing against the development of AI data centers. At a time when industry leaders are claiming AI will transform every aspect of social, political, and economic life, this dialogue emphasizes the importance of community knowledge and lived experience in countering the promises made by the AI industry. Key discussion topics include energy, water, and land use; legacies and ongoing realities of extraction along the US-Mexico Border; governmental transparency and democratic decision-making; and visions for a different, less extractive future. Panelists: Annie Ersinghaus (independent filmmaker, Las Cruces, New Mexico), Daisy A. Maldonado (community advocate for environmental justice, public health, and climate preservation in southern New Mexico), and Gilberto Manzanarez (community advocate and educator from Calexico, California). The roundtable dialogue was facilitated by Dustin Edwards, Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Writing Studies, Director of the SDSU Writing Center, and author of Enduring Digital Damage: Rhetorical Reckonings for Planetary Survival. Sponsored by the SDSU College of Arts and Letter's HŪMTECH initiative and the Digital Humanities Initiative.