AI Expansion Faces Pushback in Global South
Why this is here: The town of Quilicura, Chile hosted an event where volunteers answered questions instead of an AI chatbot, estimating the water saved and sparking a conversation about responsible AI scaling in water-stressed regions.
Communities in Chile, Mexico, Kenya, and the Philippines are resisting the negative impacts of artificial intelligence development. As AI adoption grows, wealthier nations benefit while poorer countries bear environmental and social costs related to resource extraction, data centers, and labor practices. Activists are demanding greater accountability from tech companies and governments.
In Chile, Rodrigo Vallejos and Tania Rodríguez are challenging data center water usage, filing complaints and seeking stricter environmental regulations. In Mexico, Olimpia Coral Melo advocates for legal protections against AI-generated sexual imagery.
Kenyan Joan Kinyua co-founded the Data Labelers Association to fight for fair labor standards for those annotating data for AI systems. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Code AI supports workers displaced by AI and advocates for stronger labor protections within the BPO industry. A Chilean nonprofit organized an event where volunteers answered questions instead of an AI chatbot to highlight water usage.