Anti-AI students Take Their Anger To the Streets, Forcing the Government to Hear Their Voices
Maximilliano Chi Leung Alserda (he/him) // Contributor
Caroline Zhang (any/all) // Contributing Visuals
Canada is scurrying to catch up to the AI (Artificial Intelligence) revolution and at what cost? All this taking puts profit above safety, be it Indigenous resources, critical minerals, fossil fuels or our rivers. Vancouver firmly responds with an AI resistance movement, to ensure our voices are heard.
Thousands of people showed up alongside Capilano University students for the protests against AI data centres. The federal government and Telus pushed them onto 150 West Georgia Street and into Mount Pleasant without any community consultation. Torin LaRocque, an 18-year-old first-year Early Childhood Care and Education student at CapU, helped mobilize students after founding the group No AI Vancouver. These rallies also ended up serving as community building events for meeting people passionate about the subject, as well as seeing the CapU community come together in defiance.
LaRocque decided to step up after seeing the effects AI data centres had on local communities in the United States. “I knew that if I hadn’t done something, maybe no one else would have,” he said in an interview with the Courier. He regularly hosts town hall meetings to get the public more involved and hear their thoughts. Since we are denied any transparency from the government on the long-term effects of AI data centres, he argues there has to be more research done before we start building this infrastructure across Canada. “Resources should be used to build affordable housing and rehabilitation centres instead.”
The young activist is also worried about the effects generative AI has on critical thinking skills in younger children and on creative industries.
CapU is known for its art programs, such as Motion Picture Arts (MOPA), Acting for Stage and Screen (ASAS), 2D Animation & Visual Development, among others. Many students fear AI will take artists’ jobs. “It is damaging to our university, our students and their future careers,” he warns us.
LaRocque finds it hypocritical that CapU made an Instagram post using AI to make emojis of objects around campus and Vancouver. It sends mixed signals for them to be using AI while many professors warn us with signs posted all over classrooms, banning AI. As a university boasting creative talent, they could have included student artwork instead of these emojis.
Despite this, students keep showing up to protests, proving what LaRocque said: “we’re here for the long run, even if they try to ignore us. You can’t silence the population; we’ll keep spreading our voices.”
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 938, the Canadian Animator’s Guild (CAG), and Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) are equally vocal on this issue. They propose an immediate moratorium to pressure the government into accountability and get proper regulations to protect citizens. Solomon Yi-Kieran, another leading activist and COPE City Council candidate, already accumulated over 10,000 signatures on the anti-AI data centres petition, vowing to stop these data centres from being built. Now, the hearing is pushed back until after the municipal election in October. Why is it so radical to ask for community input before carrying out these data centres? It’s shocking that COPE is the first and only progressive party to sign this.
During my interview with Yi-Kieran, they spoke about AI’s major impact on the cost of living, especially water usage. “Even though Vancouver has a closed-loop system that uses less water, it’ll still take 33 million litres of water a year to power these centres,” Yi-Kieran explained. “These systems are going to be cleaned with toxic chemicals and there’s no clear plans addressing the leakages or how it’ll affect the environment around False Creek and the Burrard Inlet.”
We’ve all seen TikTok videos of the loud, non-stop humming from AI data centres. “Imagine that on Main and 5th, next to libraries, bars, music studios, venues and restaurants,” said Yi-Kieran. They pointed out how it would put the local service and tourism economy at risk while only serving the interests of big tech corporations. Utility rates are going to hike for everyone and we simply can’t afford these huge energy demands. “There’s enough power needed to heat 85,000 homes, and we don’t even have that space on our grid. That cost will most likely not go to residents or people just trying to get by,” they added.
We can’t risk the livability of our city without public economic benefits such as jobs or even revenue for the province.
As of writing this article, the next protest march is happening on October 3rd at noon. No AI Vancouver is collaborating this time with anti-AI groups across North America and all over the world, making this event an international day of protest. As LaRocque remarks, “be the person to make that difference.”