Jesup Press-Sentinel
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
OPINION
Safeguards needed against hazards of artificial intelligence & datacenters
As reported worldwide, artificial intelligence [AI] is attracting billions-of-dollars in speculative investments intended to gain untold profits and military dominance from this controversial advanced technology. Rampant AI speculation is the main cause of skyrocketing demand for water-and-energy intensive datacenters, threatening hazards for both our environment and economy.
At the same time, some of the experts most familiar with AI are warning that before implementing it, rigorous controls must be provided to the public, vigilantly administered to prevent both general and advanced AI technology from harming social, economic, and/or political institutions. Although there were several bills considered by the General Assembly to regulate these technologies, none were adopted, and Georgia continues rewarding datacenter investors by providing tax credits for them.
Despite serious hazards, both Georgia and the U.S. government are promoting AI, based in part on claims about risks to national security and economic competitiveness if its applications aren’t expedited. Other nations, including members of the European Union, are developing urgently needed safeguards based on the precautionary principle.
The precautionary principle [PP] is a risk management tool used to guide public policy development. It features four key guidelines: (1) taking preventive action in the face of uncertainty; (2) shifting the burden of proof to the proponents of an activity; (3) exploring a wide range of alternatives to possibly harmful actions; and (4) increasing public participation in decision making.
To prevent high risks, possibly including irreversible damages, activities applying AI must be carefully evaluated and regulated accordingly. National defense systems, biotechnology research, and building nuclear power plants are prime examples of ventures with the potential for catastrophic misuse of autonomous AI systems.
In his testimony to Congress in 2023, Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, called for both domestic and international regulation of AI development. Now, three years later, such precautions are being overridden by a reckless race for U.S. military superiority and market dominance through AI.
If Georgians and other Americans are to be protected by crucially important AI controls, our institutions must be fundamentally restructured, held to higher standards of conduct, revitalized in service to our common interests instead of habitually prioritizing profit and military might. All citizens are urged to ask their elected officials to prioritize these precautionary regulations.
David Kyler
Center for a Sustainable Coast