A PUBLIC health expert has issued a major warning about Scotland’s AI data centre boom.
It comes with at least 24 proposed AI data centres currently in the planning system across the country, with others expected to be imminent.
This includes an £8 billion AI investment zone in North Lanarkshire, a £5 billion data centre project near the small village of Auchtertool in Fife, and a £2 billion data centre proposal in the Borders.
While proponents stress the economic opportunity with such developments, critics, including local campaign groups, have warned of the centres’ impact on the environment, including extremely high electricity and water usage.
Now, Andrew Watterson – an emeritus professor at the University of Stirling whose research has focused extensively on occupational health and safety and environmental health policies – has said that Scotland is “rushing” to develop AI and that we “do not know whether we can control it or not”.
“If those that work at the cutting edge of researching its safety have profound doubts we can control it – and they have voiced those doubts this week – and prevent harm to society, it’s astonishing GB governments and local authorities are contemplating approving hyper data centres at this stage,” he said.
“We have also seen evidence about a wide range of adverse impacts associated with such developments. This is at a time when global warming is visible to all and heat islands and mortality and morbidity from ‘rushed’ failed past energy and economic policies are clear.”
The expert added that adverse effects will include “environmental, energy, public health, community and worker health and safety impacts”.
He went on: “It will also involve increases in the use of toxic substances in manufacturing, construction and operation of the data centres. And the major economic benefits will go primarily to the big tech global companies at the cost of the rest of society.
“At the same time we are still ignorant about the number of jobs to be created by data centres, proper life cycle analysis of the materials and equipment to be used, and assessments of the greatly increased e-waste disposal that will be produced by these centres.”
Watterson also argued that there is a lack of a proper definition of what constitutes a green data centre.
“And so it is de facto impossible to develop them at this stage in Scotland,” he said.
“In recent years, governments have halted energy developments because the effects on climate change had not been considered and were then found to be significant. To proceed at this stage with hyper-data centres across Scotland and the rest of the UK when there may be existential threats to humanity is the height of madness.”
