CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-US"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="profile" href="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11"> <link rel="pingback" href="https://michellethorne.cc/xmlrpc.php"> <title>Predatory Delay and Other Myths of “Sustainable AI” – Michelle Thorne</title> <meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//fonts.googleapis.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//v0.wordpress.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//i0.wp.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//jetpack.wordpress.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s0.wp.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//public-api.wordpress.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//0.gravatar.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//1.gravatar.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//2.gravatar.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//c0.wp.com' /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Michelle Thorne » Feed" href="https://michellethorne.cc/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Michelle Thorne » Comments Feed" href="https://michellethorne.cc/comments/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Michelle Thorne » Predatory Delay and Other Myths of “Sustainable AI” Comments Feed" href="https://michellethorne.cc/2024/10/predatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai/feed/" /> <script type="text/javascript"> window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/14.0.0\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/14.0.0\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/michellethorne.cc\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.1.1"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(e,a,t){var n,r,o,i=a.createElement("canvas"),p=i.getContext&&i.getContext("2d");function s(e,t){var a=String.fromCharCode,e=(p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,e),0,0),i.toDataURL());return p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,t),0,0),e===i.toDataURL()}function c(e){var t=a.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=t.type="text/javascript",a.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(t)}for(o=Array("flag","emoji"),t.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},r=0;r<o.length;r++)t.supports[o[r]]=function(e){if(p&&p.fillText)switch(p.textBaseline="top",p.font="600 32px Arial",e){case"flag":return s([127987,65039,8205,9895,65039],[127987,65039,8203,9895,65039])?!1:!s([55356,56826,55356,56819],[55356,56826,8203,55356,56819])&&!s([55356,57332,56128,56423,56128,56418,56128,56421,56128,56430,56128,56423,56128,56447],[55356,57332,8203,56128,56423,8203,56128,56418,8203,56128,56421,8203,56128,56430,8203,56128,56423,8203,56128,56447]);case"emoji":return!s([129777,127995,8205,129778,127999],[129777,127995,8203,129778,127999])}return!1}(o[r]),t.supports.everything=t.supports.everything&&t.supports[o[r]],"flag"!==o[r]&&(t.supports.everythingExceptFlag=t.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&t.supports[o[r]]);t.supports.everythingExceptFlag=t.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!t.supports.flag,t.DOMReady=!1,t.readyCallback=function(){t.DOMReady=!0},t.supports.everything||(n=function(){t.readyCallback()},a.addEventListener?(a.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",n,!1),e.addEventListener("load",n,!1)):(e.attachEvent("onload",n),a.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",function(){"complete"===a.readyState&&t.readyCallback()})),(e=t.source||{}).concatemoji?c(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(c(e.twemoji),c(e.wpemoji)))}(window,document,window._wpemojiSettings); </script> <style type="text/css"> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-block-library-css' href='https://c0.wp.com/c/6.1.1/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='wp-block-library-inline-css' type='text/css'> .has-text-align-justify{text-align:justify;} </style> <style id='wp-block-library-theme-inline-css' type='text/css'> .wp-block-audio figcaption{color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .wp-block-audio figcaption{color:hsla(0,0%,100%,.65)}.wp-block-audio{margin:0 0 1em}.wp-block-code{border:1px solid #ccc;border-radius:4px;font-family:Menlo,Consolas,monaco,monospace;padding:.8em 1em}.wp-block-embed figcaption{color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .wp-block-embed figcaption{color:hsla(0,0%,100%,.65)}.wp-block-embed{margin:0 0 1em}.blocks-gallery-caption{color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .blocks-gallery-caption{color:hsla(0,0%,100%,.65)}.wp-block-image figcaption{color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .wp-block-image figcaption{color:hsla(0,0%,100%,.65)}.wp-block-image{margin:0 0 1em}.wp-block-pullquote{border-top:4px solid;border-bottom:4px solid;margin-bottom:1.75em;color:currentColor}.wp-block-pullquote__citation,.wp-block-pullquote cite,.wp-block-pullquote footer{color:currentColor;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:.8125em;font-style:normal}.wp-block-quote{border-left:.25em solid;margin:0 0 1.75em;padding-left:1em}.wp-block-quote cite,.wp-block-quote footer{color:currentColor;font-size:.8125em;position:relative;font-style:normal}.wp-block-quote.has-text-align-right{border-left:none;border-right:.25em solid;padding-left:0;padding-right:1em}.wp-block-quote.has-text-align-center{border:none;padding-left:0}.wp-block-quote.is-large,.wp-block-quote.is-style-large,.wp-block-quote.is-style-plain{border:none}.wp-block-search .wp-block-search__label{font-weight:700}.wp-block-search__button{border:1px solid #ccc;padding:.375em .625em}:where(.wp-block-group.has-background){padding:1.25em 2.375em}.wp-block-separator.has-css-opacity{opacity:.4}.wp-block-separator{border:none;border-bottom:2px solid;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto}.wp-block-separator.has-alpha-channel-opacity{opacity:1}.wp-block-separator:not(.is-style-wide):not(.is-style-dots){width:100px}.wp-block-separator.has-background:not(.is-style-dots){border-bottom:none;height:1px}.wp-block-separator.has-background:not(.is-style-wide):not(.is-style-dots){height:2px}.wp-block-table{margin:"0 0 1em 0"}.wp-block-table thead{border-bottom:3px solid}.wp-block-table tfoot{border-top:3px solid}.wp-block-table td,.wp-block-table th{word-break:normal}.wp-block-table figcaption{color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .wp-block-table figcaption{color:hsla(0,0%,100%,.65)}.wp-block-video figcaption{color:#555;font-size:13px;text-align:center}.is-dark-theme .wp-block-video figcaption{color:hsla(0,0%,100%,.65)}.wp-block-video{margin:0 0 1em}.wp-block-template-part.has-background{padding:1.25em 2.375em;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='mediaelement-css' href='https://c0.wp.com/c/6.1.1/wp-includes/js/mediaelement/mediaelementplayer-legacy.min.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-mediaelement-css' href='https://c0.wp.com/c/6.1.1/wp-includes/js/mediaelement/wp-mediaelement.min.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='classic-theme-styles-css' href='https://c0.wp.com/c/6.1.1/wp-includes/css/classic-themes.min.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='global-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> body{--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--color--light-grey: #ececed;--wp--preset--color--grey: #a9a9a9;--wp--preset--color--yellow: #e7b547;--wp--preset--color--red: #d7464d;--wp--preset--color--green: #85c066;--wp--preset--color--blue: #0066ff;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--duotone--dark-grayscale: url('#wp-duotone-dark-grayscale');--wp--preset--duotone--grayscale: url('#wp-duotone-grayscale');--wp--preset--duotone--purple-yellow: url('#wp-duotone-purple-yellow');--wp--preset--duotone--blue-red: url('#wp-duotone-blue-red');--wp--preset--duotone--midnight: url('#wp-duotone-midnight');--wp--preset--duotone--magenta-yellow: url('#wp-duotone-magenta-yellow');--wp--preset--duotone--purple-green: url('#wp-duotone-purple-green');--wp--preset--duotone--blue-orange: url('#wp-duotone-blue-orange');--wp--preset--font-size--small: 18px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 30px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--font-size--regular: 24px;--wp--preset--font-size--larger: 35px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flow > .alignleft{float: left;margin-inline-start: 0;margin-inline-end: 2em;}body .is-layout-flow > .alignright{float: right;margin-inline-start: 2em;margin-inline-end: 0;}body .is-layout-flow > .aligncenter{margin-left: auto !important;margin-right: auto !important;}body .is-layout-constrained > .alignleft{float: left;margin-inline-start: 0;margin-inline-end: 2em;}body .is-layout-constrained > .alignright{float: right;margin-inline-start: 2em;margin-inline-end: 0;}body .is-layout-constrained > .aligncenter{margin-left: auto !important;margin-right: auto !important;}body .is-layout-constrained > :where(:not(.alignleft):not(.alignright):not(.alignfull)){max-width: var(--wp--style--global--content-size);margin-left: auto !important;margin-right: auto !important;}body .is-layout-constrained > .alignwide{max-width: var(--wp--style--global--wide-size);}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}body .is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}body .is-layout-flex > *{margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} .wp-block-navigation a:where(:not(.wp-element-button)){color: inherit;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;} .wp-block-pullquote{font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='neubau-fonts-css' href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Work+Sans%3A300%2C400%2C600%2C800%7CAmiri%3A400%2C400italic%2C700%2C700italic&subset=latin%2Clatin-ext' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='neubau-style-css' href='https://michellethorne.cc/wp-content/themes/neubau/style.css?ver=20151030' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='neubau-animatecss-css' href='https://michellethorne.cc/wp-content/themes/neubau/css/animate.min.css?ver=3.5.0' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='genericons-css' href='https://c0.wp.com/p/jetpack/11.6.2/_inc/genericons/genericons/genericons.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='jetpack_css-css' href='https://c0.wp.com/p/jetpack/11.6.2/css/jetpack.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://c0.wp.com/c/6.1.1/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js' id='jquery-core-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://c0.wp.com/c/6.1.1/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery-migrate.min.js' id='jquery-migrate-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://michellethorne.cc/wp-content/themes/neubau/js/pace.min.js?ver=1.0.0' id='neubau-loadingbar-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://michellethorne.cc/wp-content/themes/neubau/js/jquery.viewportchecker.min.js?ver=1.8.5' id='neubau-viewportchecker-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://michellethorne.cc/wp-content/themes/neubau/js/imagesLoaded.js?ver=3.2.0' id='imagesLoaded-js'></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://michellethorne.cc/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" type="application/json" href="https://michellethorne.cc/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/3601" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://michellethorne.cc/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <link rel="wlwmanifest" type="application/wlwmanifest+xml" href="https://michellethorne.cc/wp-includes/wlwmanifest.xml" /> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.1.1" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://michellethorne.cc/2024/10/predatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai/" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://michellethorne.cc/?p=3601' /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://michellethorne.cc/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmichellethorne.cc%2F2024%2F10%2Fpredatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://michellethorne.cc/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmichellethorne.cc%2F2024%2F10%2Fpredatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai%2F&format=xml" /> <style>img#wpstats{display:none}</style> <style type="text/css"> .entry-content a, .comment-text a { color: #13447c;} .footer-widgets { background: #1f2b3c;} .pace .pace-progress, #overlay-wrap {background: #13447c;} .entry-header h2.entry-title a:hover {color: #13447c;} @media screen and (min-width: 1100px) { #overlay-wrap {background: #ffffff;} } </style> <style type="text/css" id="neubau-header-css"> #site-branding h1.site-title, #site-branding h1.site-title a, #site-branding p.site-title a, #site-branding p.site-description {color: #2a2d2f;} </style> <style type="text/css" id="custom-background-css"> body.custom-background { background-color: #f7fbf5; } </style> <link rel="icon" href="https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/cropped-devil-inside.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1" sizes="32x32" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/cropped-devil-inside.jpg?fit=192%2C192&ssl=1" sizes="192x192" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/cropped-devil-inside.jpg?fit=180%2C180&ssl=1" /> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/cropped-devil-inside.jpg?fit=270%2C270&ssl=1" /> </head> <body class="post-template-default single single-post postid-3601 single-format-standard custom-background wp-embed-responsive"> <div class="load-overlay"></div> <div class="main-container"> <header id="masthead" class="site-header cf" role="banner"> <div id="site-branding"> <a href="https://michellethorne.cc/" class="home-link" rel="home">Back</a> </div> <div id="overlay-wrap" class="overlay-wrap cf"> <nav id="site-navigation" class="main-navigation cf" role="navigation"> <ul id="menu-header-menu" class="primary-menu"><li id="menu-item-3126" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3126"><a href="https://michellethorne.cc/about/">About</a></li> <li id="menu-item-3431" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-3431"><a href="https://branch.climateaction.tech">Branch Magazine</a></li> </ul> </nav> <button id="overlay-close" class="overlay-btn"><span>Close</span></button> </div> <button id="overlay-open" class="overlay-btn"><span>Menu</span></button> </header> <div id="primary" class="site-content cf" role="main"> <article id="post-3601" class="cf post-3601 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-fossil-free-internet category-green-web"> <header class="entry-header cf"> <h1 class="entry-title">Predatory Delay and Other Myths of “Sustainable AI”</h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="entry-date"> <a href="https://michellethorne.cc/2024/10/predatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai/">October 17, 2024</a> </span> <span class="entry-author"> by <a href="https://michellethorne.cc/author/thornet/" title="All posts by thornet">thornet</a> </span> <span class="entry-comments"> <a href="https://michellethorne.cc/2024/10/predatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai/#respond"><span class="leave-reply">Leave a comment</span></a> </span> <div class="entry-cats"> <span>Category: </span><a href="https://michellethorne.cc/category/fossil-free-internet/" rel="category tag">fossil-free internet</a>, <a href="https://michellethorne.cc/category/green-web/" rel="category tag">Green Web Foundation</a> </div> </div> </header> <div class="post-content-wrap"> <div class="entry-thumbnail"> <img width="580" height="326" src="https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/ainow-eu-industrial-policy-cover.jpg?fit=580%2C326&ssl=1" class="attachment-neubau-small size-neubau-small wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/ainow-eu-industrial-policy-cover.jpg?w=930&ssl=1 930w, https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/ainow-eu-industrial-policy-cover.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/ainow-eu-industrial-policy-cover.jpg?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/ainow-eu-industrial-policy-cover.jpg?resize=580%2C326&ssl=1 580w, https://i0.wp.com/michellethorne.cc/wp-content/uploads/ainow-eu-industrial-policy-cover.jpg?resize=800%2C450&ssl=1 800w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /> </div> <div class="post-comments-wrap"> <div class="entry-content"> <p>AI Now Institute has published <a href="https://ainowinstitute.org/redirecting-europes-ai-industrial-policy">a new collection of essays setting out to inform Europe’s industrial policy for AI.</a></p> <p>As Europe ponders pouring billions of public funds into AI, this collection attempts to reorient the EU’s industrial policy away from its current trajectory of further entrenching big tech’s dominance in the market––and outlines alternative pathways forward.</p> <p><a href="https://ainowinstitute.org/publication/predatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai">I wrote a chapter with Fieke Jansen to call out predatory delay and busts the myths about “AI for sustainability.”</a> We call for Europe to reframe what it means to be innovative and center environmental justice in its industrial policy.</p> <p>Some excepts: </p> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"> <p>Myths about AI create a policy vacuum in which unsustainable and unjust systems flourish and necessary policy interventions are delayed.</p> </blockquote> <p>Boosters of AI argue that the environmental costs of the technology are acceptable for the benefits they offer. However, one should be wary of the rhetorical tactics used to defer meaningful climate action, known as discourses of delay. This is an old story where the institutional pathology of neoliberalism tries to redirect attention, delay action, and dilute interventions away from truly transformative change.</p> <p><a href="https://ainowinstitute.org/publication/predatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai">Our chapter</a> unpacks several prevailing myths about AI and sustainability, which we hope will equip policymakers with a more balanced take.</p> <h2>Myths of AI and Sustainability</h2> <ol> <li>AI Is Immaterial</li> <li>AI Will Speed Up the Transition</li> <li>AI is a Climate Solution</li> </ol> <p>Read the <a href="https://ainowinstitute.org/publication/predatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai">rest of our chapter</a> and <a href="https://ainowinstitute.org/redirecting-europes-ai-industrial-policy">the full report</a>. </p> <p>Thank you to the AI Now team for curating this and including the climate perspective!</p> </div> <footer class="entry-footer cf"> </footer> <div id="comments" class="comments-area cf"> <div id="respond" class="comment-respond"> <h3 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title">Leave a Reply <small><a rel="nofollow" id="cancel-comment-reply-link" href="/2024/10/predatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai/#respond" style="display:none;">Cancel reply</a></small> </h3> <form id="commentform" class="comment-form"> <iframe title="Comment Form" src="https://jetpack.wordpress.com/jetpack-comment/?blogid=86758606&postid=3601&comment_registration=0&require_name_email=1&stc_enabled=1&stb_enabled=1&show_avatars=1&avatar_default=monsterid&greeting=Leave+a+Reply&jetpack_comments_nonce=1227f647a9&greeting_reply=Leave+a+Reply+to+%25s&color_scheme=light&lang=en_US&jetpack_version=11.6.2&show_cookie_consent=10&has_cookie_consent=0&token_key=%3Bnormal%3B&sig=9a91f34c01bd0ebafa0bba7adc4436880be078ff#parent=https%3A%2F%2Fmichellethorne.cc%2F2024%2F10%2Fpredatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai%2F" name="jetpack_remote_comment" style="width:100%; height: 430px; border:0;" class="jetpack_remote_comment" id="jetpack_remote_comment" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-top-navigation allow-scripts allow-forms allow-popups" > </iframe>  <script> document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () { var commentForms = document.getElementsByClassName('jetpack_remote_comment'); for (var i = 0; i < commentForms.length; i++) { commentForms[i].allowTransparency = false; commentForms[i].scrolling = 'no'; } }); </script>  </form> </div> <input type="hidden" name="comment_parent" id="comment_parent" value="" /> <p class="akismet_comment_form_privacy_notice">This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. <a href="https://akismet.com/privacy/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Learn how your comment data is processed</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="sidebar-wrap"> </div> <nav class="navigation post-navigation" aria-label="Posts"> <h2 class="screen-reader-text">Post navigation</h2> <div class="nav-links"><div class="nav-previous"><a href="https://michellethorne.cc/2024/09/critical-dependencies-power-consolidation-of-digital-infrastructures/" rel="prev"><span class="meta-nav">Previous</span> <span class="screen-reader-text">Previous Post</span> </a></div></div> </nav> </div> <footer id="colophon" class="site-footer cf"> <aside id="footer-widgets" class="footer-widgets cf" role="complementary"> <div class="footer-one widget-area"> <aside id="text-7" class="widget widget_text"> <div class="textwidget"><p> <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i0.wp.com/i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png?w=700&ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a><br />Unless otherwise noted, <span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" property="dct:title">this blog</span> by <a xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" href="http://michellethorne.cc/" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL">Michelle Thorne</a> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>.</p> <p>Find me elsewhere online as @thornet: <a href="https://twitter.com/thornet">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://github.com/thornet">Github</a>, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/thornet">Flickr</a>.</p></div> </aside> </div> <div class="footer-two widget-area"> <aside id="custom_html-2" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><h3 class="widget-title">Website Carbon Badge</h3><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><div id="wcb" class="carbonbadge wcb-d"></div> <script src="https://unpkg.com/website-carbon-badges@1.1.1/b.min.js" defer></script></div></aside> </div> </aside> <div id="site-info"> <ul class="credit" role="contentinfo"> <li class="copyright">© 2025 <a href="https://michellethorne.cc/">Michelle Thorne</a></li> <li class="wp-credit">Powered by <a href="https://wordpress.org/" >WordPress</a></li> <li class="theme-author">Theme: Neubau by <a href="https://www.elmastudio.de/en/" rel="designer">Elmastudio</a></li> </ul> </div> </footer> </div> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://c0.wp.com/p/jetpack/11.6.2/_inc/build/photon/photon.min.js' id='jetpack-photon-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://c0.wp.com/c/6.1.1/wp-includes/js/comment-reply.min.js' id='comment-reply-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://c0.wp.com/c/6.1.1/wp-includes/js/imagesloaded.min.js' id='imagesloaded-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://c0.wp.com/c/6.1.1/wp-includes/js/masonry.min.js' id='masonry-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://michellethorne.cc/wp-content/themes/neubau/js/postmasonry.js?ver=20151128' id='neubau-postmasonry-js'></script> <script type='text/javascript' id='neubau-script-js-extra'> /* <![CDATA[ */ var screenReaderText = {"expand":"<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">expand child menu<\/span>","collapse":"<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">collapse child menu<\/span>"}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://michellethorne.cc/wp-content/themes/neubau/js/functions.js?ver=20151128' id='neubau-script-js'></script> <script defer type='text/javascript' src='https://michellethorne.cc/wp-content/plugins/akismet/_inc/akismet-frontend.js?ver=1729149055' id='akismet-frontend-js'></script>  <script type="text/javascript"> (function () { var comm_par_el = document.getElementById( 'comment_parent' ), comm_par = ( comm_par_el && comm_par_el.value ) ? comm_par_el.value : '', frame = document.getElementById( 'jetpack_remote_comment' ), tellFrameNewParent; tellFrameNewParent = function () { if ( comm_par ) { frame.src = "https://jetpack.wordpress.com/jetpack-comment/?blogid=86758606&postid=3601&comment_registration=0&require_name_email=1&stc_enabled=1&stb_enabled=1&show_avatars=1&avatar_default=monsterid&greeting=Leave+a+Reply&jetpack_comments_nonce=1227f647a9&greeting_reply=Leave+a+Reply+to+%25s&color_scheme=light&lang=en_US&jetpack_version=11.6.2&show_cookie_consent=10&has_cookie_consent=0&token_key=%3Bnormal%3B&sig=9a91f34c01bd0ebafa0bba7adc4436880be078ff#parent=https%3A%2F%2Fmichellethorne.cc%2F2024%2F10%2Fpredatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai%2F" + '&replytocom=' + parseInt( comm_par, 10 ).toString(); } else { frame.src = "https://jetpack.wordpress.com/jetpack-comment/?blogid=86758606&postid=3601&comment_registration=0&require_name_email=1&stc_enabled=1&stb_enabled=1&show_avatars=1&avatar_default=monsterid&greeting=Leave+a+Reply&jetpack_comments_nonce=1227f647a9&greeting_reply=Leave+a+Reply+to+%25s&color_scheme=light&lang=en_US&jetpack_version=11.6.2&show_cookie_consent=10&has_cookie_consent=0&token_key=%3Bnormal%3B&sig=9a91f34c01bd0ebafa0bba7adc4436880be078ff#parent=https%3A%2F%2Fmichellethorne.cc%2F2024%2F10%2Fpredatory-delay-and-other-myths-of-sustainable-ai%2F"; } }; if ( 'undefined' !== typeof addComment ) { addComment._Jetpack_moveForm = addComment.moveForm; addComment.moveForm = function ( commId, parentId, respondId, postId ) { var returnValue = addComment._Jetpack_moveForm( commId, parentId, respondId, postId ), cancelClick, cancel; if ( false === returnValue ) { cancel = document.getElementById( 'cancel-comment-reply-link' ); cancelClick = cancel.onclick; cancel.onclick = function () { var cancelReturn = cancelClick.call( this ); if ( false !== cancelReturn ) { return cancelReturn; } if ( ! comm_par ) { return cancelReturn; } comm_par = 0; tellFrameNewParent(); return cancelReturn; }; } if ( comm_par == parentId ) { return returnValue; } comm_par = parentId; tellFrameNewParent(); return returnValue; }; } // Do the post message bit after the dom has loaded. document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function () { var iframe_url = "https:\/\/jetpack.wordpress.com"; if ( window.postMessage ) { if ( document.addEventListener ) { window.addEventListener( 'message', function ( event ) { var origin = event.origin.replace( /^http:\/\//i, 'https://' ); if ( iframe_url.replace( /^http:\/\//i, 'https://' ) !== origin ) { return; } frame.style.height = event.data + 'px'; }); } else if ( document.attachEvent ) { window.attachEvent( 'message', function ( event ) { var origin = event.origin.replace( /^http:\/\//i, 'https://' ); if ( iframe_url.replace( /^http:\/\//i, 'https://' ) !== origin ) { return; } frame.style.height = event.data + 'px'; }); } } }) })(); </script> <script src='https://stats.wp.com/e-202508.js' defer></script> <script> _stq = window._stq || []; _stq.push([ 'view', {v:'ext',blog:'86758606',post:'3601',tz:'1',srv:'michellethorne.cc',j:'1:11.6.2'} ]); _stq.push([ 'clickTrackerInit', '86758606', '3601' ]); </script> </body> </html>