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Can We Really Unplug AI by Flipping a Switch? · Digg

Can We Really Unplug AI by Flipping a Switch?

A cheeky post joked that AI runs on electricity, so we can just unplug it—like a quick TED talk punchline with Mr. Bean staring in disbelief.

The simple idea faced swift pushback from users explaining AI's deep integration into devices, systems, and civilization itself, where shutting it down could collapse everything. Commenters highlighted workarounds like solar-powered robots, AI satellites via Starlink, and self-contained energy islands for data centers. With global data center power use set to surge 26 percent in 2026 from AI demands, the exchange reveals how tough it would be to pull the plug on a technology this embedded.

Combined views

2.4M

7 posts, first seen 1d ago

26.4K likes1.7K comments755 saves1.6K reposts

Can We Really Unplug AI by Flipping a Switch?

A cheeky post joked that AI runs on electricity, so we can just unplug it—like a quick TED talk punchline with Mr. Bean staring in disbelief.

The simple idea faced swift pushback from users explaining AI's deep integration into devices, systems, and civilization itself, where shutting it down could collapse everything. Commenters highlighted workarounds like solar-powered robots, AI satellites via Starlink, and self-contained energy islands for data centers. With global data center power use set to surge 26 percent in 2026 from AI demands, the exchange reveals how tough it would be to pull the plug on a technology this embedded.

Posts from X

7 posts

AL
Alan@A1an_M Yesterday
AI runs on electricity. We can unplug it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
- likes: 24.1K
- replies: 1.5K
- bookmarks: 709
- reposts: 1.4K
PE
Penny2x@imPenny2x Yesterday
the anti ai movement is more dangerous than ai.
- likes: 2.1K
- replies: 173
- bookmarks: 45
- reposts: 193

Combined views

2.4M

7 posts, first seen 1d ago

26.4K likes1.7K comments755 saves1.6K reposts

Posts from X

7 posts

AL
Alan@A1an_M Yesterday
AI runs on electricity. We can unplug it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
- likes: 24.1K
- replies: 1.5K
- bookmarks: 709
- reposts: 1.4K
1. TT
  Techie Trader@pokemoniku Yesterday
  @A1an_M If there's one thing I have learned working on computers for decades it is not to make assumptions that you can't verify.
  - likes: 0
  - replies: 1
  - bookmarks: 0
  - reposts: 0
2. SA
  Sarah Adams@sarahadams Yesterday
  @A1an_M You don’t think it will find creative ways to harness and create energy!? People clearly have no idea what the advanced models are doing.
  - likes: 145
  - replies: 29
  - bookmarks: 1
  - reposts: 2
3. CN
  CneqVR@cneqvrc Yesterday
  Yep, the internet runs on electricity and we can just cut the undersea cables and destroy it and have no issues lmao There's no way you are a 'graduate of engineering and science' and have such a limited perspective of cause and effect and what ever increasing integration of AI…
  - likes: 2
  - replies: 0
  - bookmarks: 0
  - reposts: 0
4. TT
  Tesla Trucklet@TeslaTrucklet Yesterday
  @A1an_M Solar powered AI satellites. With direct starlink connections to robots. Good luck.
  - likes: 0
  - replies: 0
  - bookmarks: 0
  - reposts: 0
PE
Penny2x@imPenny2x Yesterday
the anti ai movement is more dangerous than ai.
- likes: 2.1K
- replies: 173
- bookmarks: 45
- reposts: 193

Source Posts

@A1an_MAI runs on electricity. We can unplug it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.@imPenny2xthe anti ai movement is more dangerous than ai.@pokemoniku@A1an_M If there's one thing I have learned working on computers for decades it is not to make assumptions that you can't verify.@sarahadams@A1an_M You don’t think it will find creative ways to harness and create energy!? People clearly have no idea what the advanced models are doing.@cneqvrcYep, the internet runs on electricity and we can just cut the undersea cables and destroy it and have no issues lmao There's no way you are a 'graduate of engineering and science' and have such a limited perspective of cause and effect and what ever increasing integration of AI into almost every system imagine means. To shut it off when it has already been integrated into quite literally every device, system, software and more is to literally destroy the very system that governs human civilisation. This is like 10 seconds of thinking to reach such an answer. How are people so incapable of logical, systematic and long term analysis? It just proves that humanity really needs a revolution in intelligence because my god people are genuinely retarded and that deficiency in intellect, knowledge and breadth of cognitive abilities is what causes so much human suffering to begin with.@lone_melancholythinking about a remote lab in China experimenting a Robot that runs on Solar & uses On device AI models @TeslaTrucklet@A1an_M Solar powered AI satellites. With direct starlink connections to robots. Good luck.

Today's Rank

#10

Today's Rank

#10