GENE MONIN: Technology could be final nail in humanity’s coffin

Imagine a day without electrical power for a week, nationwide.

Between Aug 14-15, 2003, electrical power failed at 4.30 p.m. over a large area of Ontario and the northeast U.S.

When power stops in a metropolis like Toronto in the afternoon rush hour as thousands head home, there is widespread chaos.

Subway trains are stranded in dark tunnels, buses stop as traffic signals go out, elevators get stuck, air traffic and businesses are disrupted. Gas stations are down.

ATMs, parking gates, smart phones, telephones, entrances to apartment buildings, security lights and elevators are down.

We only had a toaster and a radio in the kitchen when I grew up. Today’s kitchens have banks of power outlets for microwave, air fryer, blender, stove, Keurig, crockpot, food processor, TV, sound system, refrigerator with all the bells and whistles and charging stations.

Hostile hackers and nations have disabled servers, hospitals, banks, military systems, air traffic control, on numerous occasions. Were these interruptions caused by tests probing firewalls and security?

As technology became universal, we depended on cash from ATMs and paying by credit/debit. All this stopped by a power cut as cash became king.

More seriously, lives of the disabled are in peril when power stops.

A man who lost his legs in an earlier power line mishap was stranded in a Toronto high-rise apartment. It was a stifling hot day, and without air conditioning, he relied on his PSW arriving and cooling him in a tub of cold water.

The power failure meant his worker never arrived and he perished.

One good result of the power cut was the creation of a Vulnerable Person’s Registry, so in future crises, emergency services could respond to similar situations.

Technology relies on electricity and modern society cannot exist without electricity.

Beware of technology destroying us. Every advance in technology increases demand for electricity.

Without reliable electric supply, modern society cannot survive. Only Survivalists are prepared for any disaster.

Are these prior to a full-scale assault on a country’s electrical grid to render it helpless to defend itself?

Russia belatedly turned to disabling Ukraine’s electrical grids and communication networks, instead of hitting them from the very start of their war.

Experts warn that AI will wipe out humanity.

Demand for Terawatts of power is growing by mega jumps as more AI data centres are built. (1 Terawatt is one trillion watts.)

Mega data centres, the backbone of AI, demand huge amounts of power, pushing companies like Meta, Google and Microsoft, to find sustainable solutions.

Electricity demand from AI data centres is volatile and can spike unexpectedly: grids that rely on renewable energies cannot adjust quickly.

Countries are taking energy-saving measures to prevent overloading their national networks that feed industries, businesses, hospitals and homes.

Ireland, with one of the highest concentrations of data centres in the world, has introduced connection restrictions. The Netherlands has introduced constraints on where data centres can be built.

AI, if unchecked, can wipe humanity out because its demands for electric power will deprive humanity of electricity that makes modern life possible.

We have been warned. See HAL the computer running amok in Hal Lindsay’s 1968 epic science fiction film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Reach Gene Monin at adios43@yahoo.com