Vulnerable People and Places Blog

 Data centers promise progress. They power AI, cloud storage, streaming, and many of the online services we use every day. They can also bring investment and jobs into Oregon. In fact, state economic analysis estimates that data centers support thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity across Oregon.  But there is another side of the story that deserves our attention.  Data centers require enormous infrastructure. They need land, electricity, and sometimes large amounts of water. As more facilities are built, communities have to ask an important question: Who receives the benefits, and who is responsible for the costs? This question is especially relevant right here in Oregon. In Hillsboro, the rapid expansion of data centers has created controversy over tax incentives, water and energy use, farmland, and how much control local communities have over development decisions. In June 2026, 1000 Friends of Oregon and other community groups filed a lawsuit ...

           Do you have a favorite book, movie, art piece, or story? When you read this story was it impactful because it had all the required elements of a story? When you saw this painting was it mesmerizing because it was perfect? Maybe so, but it's probably not the elements of the story that resonate with you or the perfect strokes of the brush that captured your attention. It's actually the originality of it.  It was probably something you had never seen before or a book that went so deep within your mind that it changed something inside of you in the process. A story that you still think about to this day.          Stories and art have long been a part of how we as human show our deepest emotions and identity. It helps us understand and connect to one another in a world where we can be so divided. Allowing us to see a different perspective that we otherwise would never experience.           If...

            Ai is rapidly growing every day. Many of us use it for everyday tasks. From asking questions to using, it as a research tool. We are slowly integrating Ai in every part of our lives. We also have companies adopting Ai and using it as a tool for ever day tasks. Eliminating many collaborative meetings and opting for Ai to do the work.             As we continue to incorporate Ai into our world, are we stopping and asking what we are trading for the conveniency? Yes, living can become easier but isn't struggle part of the process?  Think about how people started business before Ai. You wanted to name your business something innovative. Often times you would ponder on this for days even weeks until one day it came to you. Eureka! The perfect name for your business that only YOU could have come up with. Now, finding a name for anything is as easy as putting in a prompt. Five minutes. Bam! You have a l...

    Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of our everyday lives, but it also raises important questions about energy use, water consumption, jobs, and the future of our communities. We invite you to take a few minutes to complete our anonymous survey and share your perspective. Your feedback will help Portland State University students better understand public opinions about AI and data centers, and the results will be shared with 1000 Friends of Oregon. Every response is valuable and appreciated.   https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4-SKdrBDrMiU9IRLGHt2e5sMzAcu3JYXC6yeXp0CnnrENHA/viewform  

The Battle of A.I. and Creativity      As the trends of Artificial Intelligence usage continue to rise, there is a continued pattern to the specific nuances in which AI operates. AI registers the tone in which many people write in order to strengthen its own intelligence by using pattern recognition. For those not familiar with pattern recognition, it is extremely prevalent in all technologies that utilize AI. "Pattern recognition can be seen in tasks such as character recognition, image processing, and speech recognition, where systems analyze data to group or classify it into meaningful categories." (EBSO).     While this level of pattern recognition is useful for companies that need to analyze trends, a concern is that as more people begin to utilize AI for varying reasons (curiosity, coursework, etc.) the more AI will dilute the quality of work that is received in the real world. For those who have been on social media, it is likely that you h...

     AI datacenters require a significant amount of resources, primarily energy and water. They cover large amounts of land, taking up space occupied by natural wildlife. Datacenters also contribute to the vast amounts of electronic waste in landfills, which are non-biodegradable. Overall, datacenters are far from environmentally sustainable. However, these centers are essential to powering the current state of AI and numerous other systems such as cloud storage. It would take huge changes in corporations and society to move to a different system than what is already in place.      Realistically, companies and governments can take measures to establish and use datacenters responsibly. They can use alternative sources of energy such as solar power, and manage waste better. AI also may help more than harm. It is helping in improving scientific research on environmental sustainability and climate change. To support these changes and reduce significant waste, w...

Artificial intelligence is a useful tool and fascinating development that has surged in recent years. While previously we feared computers reaching levels of near-human intelligence, AI has become an extremely valuable asset to businesses and individuals. Still, many people foresee a sudden robot takeover of the world following the emergence of AI. While AI likely won’t surpass human intelligence anytime soon, here are a few risks we should consider. AI replacing jobs is a significant concern among most workers today. AI can already be seen replacing certain professional responsibilities such as data entry, basic customer service, and even creative labor such as simple graphic design (think Canva AI). However, AI is certainly not at the level yet of replacing the jobs of healthcare professionals such as medical doctors and therapists, or creative jobs such as artistic direction. In fact, AI being used to replace therapy in some cases can lead to dangerous outcomes.  AI should certa...