00:00We want AI to support and create good jobs, not replace them.
00:04Anything less is theft.
00:06Artificial intelligence is booming,
00:09and some of Australia's biggest AI data centres
00:11are being planned for regional communities.
00:14Supporters say they'll create jobs and billions in investment,
00:18but critics are asking whether country towns could end up paying the price
00:22through higher demand for water, electricity and land.
00:25So should regional Australia welcome AI factories?
00:30What actually is a data centre?
00:33Every time you use Google, stream Netflix, save photos to the cloud
00:37or ask ChatGPT something, your information is processed inside a data centre.
00:43Think of them as enormous warehouses filled with computers working around the clock.
00:49Why are they moving into regional Australia?
00:51Because they need lots of land, huge amounts of electricity,
00:56reliable internet connections, space to expand.
01:00More than enough room for new data centres without them competing with new housing.
01:04Supporters say the projects could create hundreds of construction jobs,
01:08long-term skilled employment and major investment into country towns.
01:13But communities say they also deserve answers.
01:16Many councils claim they first heard about billion-dollar proposals
01:19through media reports or company announcements,
01:22rather than direct consultation.
01:29The federal government has now announced new expectations and plans
01:34for mandatory national standards for large data centres.
01:37The proposed rules aim to ensure facilities minimise water use,
01:41improve energy efficiency,
01:43help fund any infrastructure they require
01:45and avoid passing costs onto households or existing water users.
01:50They put at least as much energy into our grid as they take out of it.
01:55The fact that we cannot stop change does not render us powerless.
02:00Critics say it's a good start,
02:02but governments still don't know exactly how much water and electricity
02:06the AI boom will need.
02:08Or what'll happen if it starts competing with Aussie farmers during drought?
02:12Makes you a bit nervous about,
02:14is this going to consume megalitre after megalitre of water?
02:18And given that we're the driest continent on earth,
02:21that is a worry.
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