Re: "Data centre warning", (PostBag, Aug 9) & "Democracy versus AI data centres", (Opinion, Aug 8).
Recent articles here and a letter to the editor by Anna Aarts on Sunday tell us, rightly so, of various potential environmental and other concerns regarding mega AI data centres -- which, agreed, need thinking and regulatory scrutiny.
To counterbalance, AI is the great true info-empowerment to most of humanity, with just a few clicks. We live in a world often spotted with misinformation, false news, biased claims, confusion and even delusions of all sorts.
Claims of all sorts are made, often with some biases. A variety of basic information or even knowledge is distorted, misinterpreted, or plain wrong. "Half-truths can be a whole lie" comes to mind. AI puts all such distorters on guard.
While AI responses are not perfect, they are better than anything humanity ever had before. Not least, allowing consumers of all kinds, from a company CEO to the lowest-skilled worker, to check and learn if something is likely true or not, on just about all subjects.
Besides, AI is a proven new tremendous productivity enhancer for all kinds of companies, researchers, investors, and governments, big and small.
AI will eliminate some jobs along with a variety of other real environmental concerns well mentioned, but while empowering all of us in so many different new ways. On the whole, AI is the real saviour, just in time, in a sea of ever more confusion many or most of us live in.
Paul A Renaud
Solar ideal for poor
Re: "Govt eyes solar panel subsidy," (BP, Aug 7).
I am delighted that Prime Minister Anutin's government is considering subsidising solar panels to move electricity generation away from natural gas.
Taxpayer assistance should go first to those who need it most -- those who are very poor. In particular, our farmers are 30% of our labour force, yet average farm households have high debts, in many cases double their annual household income.
The average farmer is 59 years old, well past peak earning and learning. So, the government's subsidy needs to prioritise these needy groups, first and foremost.
Our subsidy must make recipients income gainers, because otherwise they will have no incentive to move to panels -- as things stand, they have insufficient income for healthy meals for their families, let alone to pay off even low-interest loans.
Also, we should not reinvent the wheel. Rather, ask the World Bank about what it learned from its development finance lessons in expanding electricity in remote areas in Bangladesh (which installed 4.1 million homes with solar systems), India, and Kenya.
In these places, the so-called "Pay-As-You-Go" (PAYG) solar system means that instead of giving a full 100% state subsidy, the system brings in the private sector to help create services and contracts.
Homeowners pay a small deposit and make daily or weekly payments via mobile money, and eventually, the homeowners will own the solar system.
Burin Kantabutra
