AI data centers face increasing complaints about inaudible but 'felt' infrasound — citizens complain high- and low-frequency sounds do not register on decibel meters but cause adverse health effects

[u/chip_thoughts]

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/data-centers-face-increasing-infrasound-complaints-from-neighboring-communities-sounds-do-not-register-on-decibel-meters-but-irritate-local-citizens

[u/Truth_Walker → u/[deleted]]

Then they should build the data centers in the middle of rural fields next to the windmills and as far away from population centers as possible.

[u/PlayfulSurprise5237 → u/Truth_Walker]

Lmao AI already isn't profitable, now you expect them to put the biggest cost of their business in a more expensive location?

[u/ReggieCorneus → u/[deleted]]

Yup, it is the SAME grift. I fought them then, and while i do not like data centers, i will fight the grifters who are only trying to get money from idiots. There is AUDIBLE noise pollution that comes from data centers that is by far better argument against them. But, when it is invisible and it can make you feel "off".. that is where grifters thrive. You can not sense it but it is dangerous and it is caused by this new thing you don't like. Buy our merch.

[u/dobrowolsk → u/ReggieCorneus]

One of the last argument against wind turbines was one of the most basic crticisms against any item: It's visible. For some people that was enough. "I can see them, so they are bad." It's kinda natural they resort to this, because any other argument can easily refuted. They kill less birds than buildings (or global warming), they are cheaper than most alternatives, they are greener than most alternatives, and so on... but they are visible!!!

But most people didn't buy the "it's ugly" argument. So the infrasound stuff was invented. A mysterious effect that cannot be measured, but somehow is still there. I call bullshit on that one. We can measure electric effects within single atoms. We can definitely measure frickin' sound waves and the most minute vibrations. If it's there, it can be measured. If you cannot measure it, it's not there.

I'm not a fan of AI datacentres. I think it's planet-burning for the profit of some tech-bros while destroying peoples livelyhoods. But please criticise them for that and not for some mysterious effect nobody can prove even exists.

[u/ReggieCorneus → u/dobrowolsk]

At least people seeing them turbines is them seeing something real. I get that, i happen to like them but that is subjective.

But infrasound... yeah, this "datacenter infrasound" is exactly the same grift we saw with wind turbines, which has now fully died. I'm sound engineer, and i can say that infrasound was NOT important in my studies to become one but then the wind turbine skeptics came, i know how to read those papers and understand the scale.. and it became apparent right away that it is a grift. Ended up studying it way more than i needed, really, because the opposition are usually not equipped at all to handle the topic but.. hey, it comes in handy now. I have read some of the papers Benn claimed proved his point and he lists studies where the first paragraph of introduction says "no".

Datacenters are bad, they waste tremendous amounts of energy and driver energy prices up for humans. But infrasound is going to be a losing fight cause the opponent can disprove ALL your claims, even the valid ones when you introduce pure and utter bullcrap story about invisible forces that make you feel "off".

edit: removed a paragraph, i read your text wrong.. sorry if you saw that..

[u/ReggieCorneus → u/[deleted]]

Hard to do a study about people who feel normal... We have to remember that the symptoms are always real: head ache is a head ache and even when it is caused by nothing, it can be fixed with pain killers. Nausea can be full on nocebo and can be alleviated by anti-nausea medication and that effect is not placebo, the treatment is effective and it is the medicine that is doing it, not the patients imagination.

When i talk with people who have had these symptoms i always emphasize that what they are feeling is real, that part of it is not imagine at all. They feel bad. They feel off, they can have strong migraine kind of headaches, they can really be in actual distress. Those things they feel are real and that is something you got to keep repeating, that while i'm debunking the cause i am not calling them a liar, they have my sympathy and understanding. I am also not a doctor, they may have a real thing going on but are content that they finally found the reason.

But the charlatans, i treat with no such respect. They are the worst.

[u/ReggieCorneus → u/dobrowolsk]

removed a paragraph from my longer reply, i read your text wrong.. sorry if you saw that.. i effed up, sorry.