Three Thoughts: It’s OK. One Can Like AI, Dislike Data Centers

 

My great great grandfather was a typesetter. 
What's that?  Ask AI.

You don’t have to like data centers to like AI.  

I can reconcile the fact that I carry a phone loaded with AI-equipped capabilities and am a user of ChatGPT, X, and Facebook, yet I am no fan of the proliferation of data centers. 

It’s a false choice. 

I contend I can like AI and be hopeful for its future even if I wish data centers created more jobs. 

First Thought: Rooting for AI

I can put thumbs up on my kids’ sporting events and hearts to my granddaughter’s photos even if I would rather see industrial sites kept ready for manufacturers instead of data centers. 

I won’t shed tears if my mom’s social media likes from 2013 are lost in a power outage instead of her air conditioning going out and the food in her fridge spoiling in a rolling blackout. 

Google, NVIDIA, and Microsoft are all speaking to more efficient data centers in the future.  Data centers could use a smaller footprint for the same output.  Intel’s Gordon Moore and Moore’s Law concept is another predictor to watch. Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA said, “The first thing we’re doing is modernizing data centers, accelerating it, densifying it, making it more energy efficient.” 

Yes, AI is growing computing demand, but more efficient data storage means computing supply is growing rapidly too.  Both are happening. 

Another Thought: Don’t blame AI

AI shouldn’t be held up as a shield against data center backlash.  

Don’t tell me I have to like data centers’ location choices simply because I’m upbeat about the future of AI. 

It’s a local decision to accept data centers.  A local community can embrace AI and still, rightly, question the best use of land and resources to best achieve local impact. 

Even with the massive growth, data centers directly account for about 0.5% of Ohio’s Gross Domestic Product compared to 15% for manufacturing.  Ohio needs to accommodate data centers without allowing them to crowd out the manufacturing sector that has long been one of the state’s greatest strengths. 

Third Thought: AI and jobs

Don’t fear AI taking away jobs.  That’s another false choice. 

Fear of losing jobs to technology and mechanization is not a new idea.  

I do family history research, and it shows typesetter, copy editor, drayman, and harness maker in the mix among my ancestors’ jobs.  You must search hard to even know what those jobs involve.  

Jobs evolve.  New jobs emerge. 

Businesses are benefiting from AI embedded in everyday work. It’s a much-needed edge.  Just like knowing how to use spreadsheet software in 1990 or 3D printing in 2010, jobs of the future will require knowledge of how to use AI. 

Economist Lauren Saidel-Baker said it right way back in 2018, "The number of new jobs created by artificial intelligence may actually exceed the number of jobs eliminated." 

Count me among the growing number of people who are pro-AI and rooting for its future benefits for Ohio business and workforce.  Supporting AI, though, doesn’t mean supporting every data center, in every location, with every incentive.

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This column is a regular column in The Columbus Dispatch. 

Three Thoughts: Labor Day Advice for the Next Governor

 

Labor Day is upon us. 

Ohioan Jacob Coxey from my hometown Massillon led a march on Washington for economic policy in 1894.  Labor Day became a thing that same year as Congress’ answer to the populist demands of the time. 

Not long after, the labor holiday also became the traditional start of political campaigns.  Voter interest picks up in the sprint to November.  

Economic policy and political campaigning are intertwined with Labor Day.  Ohioans still tend to tune in to elections more after Labor Day to ponder how they are going to vote.  It’s also when candidates are starting to think more seriously about what happens after Election Day. 

With that backdrop, I have three thoughts for Ohio’s next governor about what governing looks like after the results have set in.  There are lessons to be gleaned from past governors. 

First Thought: Jobs. Jobs. Jobs.

Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes turned a catch phrase into a governing roadmap.  His “jobs, jobs and jobs” theme is still spot on today.  

His closest gubernatorial race in 1974 was a referendum on manufacturing jobs versus a service sector shift.  The lesson then is the lesson today: Focusing on manufacturing jobs is job one, two, and three for an Ohio governor. 

Keep a focus on Ohio’s economic base.  Bad economic times come inevitably, and the most resilient state economy is one where the base stays diverse and strong.  History shows an economic downtown is worse in places where the base is weakened and overdependent on a few sectors. 

Every cabinet agency should answer the question:  How does this policy affect manufacturing?  Manufacturing is the foundation of our Ohio economy.  

Another Thought: All development is local

Tip O’Neill’s saying, “All politics is local” also applies to development.  

Ohio Governor George Voinovich, himself a local official at heart, coached local officials he met to think about their community needs saying, “If you know what you want, you can get it.”  Local consensus building was central to the Voinovich development approach. 

That translates to:  Empower local communities. 

For example, no development happens without a site or building.  At the core of local economic growth is site readiness—a locally driven endeavor.  State government can only empower local readiness, not replace it. 

Third Thought: Business climate matters

It was a governor, then Texas Governor George W. Bush, who gave the best definition of economic development I’ve heard saying, “Economic development is creating an environment where people are willing to risk capital.” 

Some things only a Governor can do.  Governor Mike DeWine famously met with corporate decision makers over Fran’s breakfast.  That sincere, personal touch—something only a governor can deliver—is how even multibillion-dollar, job-creating investments get closed. 

There’s more to this business climate factor, as the recent CNBC rankings demonstrate.  

Infrastructure and workforce are woven into business climate and that’s where a governor is both a general and a front-line soldier.  

Grassroots political campaigning causes gubernatorial candidates to see more from the front lines of the economy and development than any state aides will ever see.  You can’t visit dozens of county fairs, festivals, and parades and not absorb an understanding of the wants and needs of Ohioans.  Trust what you learn. 

Labor Day is when governing questions come into focus for Ohioans and for future governors alike.  Manufacturing jobs focus, local economic resilience, and business climate should be at the forefront.

Feb. 22, 1894; Newark Advocate, page 2

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This column is a regular column in The Columbus Dispatch.

Three Thoughts: Simple, Welcoming Gestures

It’s simple.  Clap while a group of kids walk into a building. 

Four years ago, a friend invited me to join a clap-in ceremony at a youth gathering. I did.  Now, I’m hooked. 

My friend was opening my eyes to a broader way to reach a future workforce and an audience receptive to learning the value of STEM skills.  

For 20 years, our Port Authority has made it our job to reach STEM learning audiences and boost industry engagement.  

Tewahedo Social Services brings over 500 young people from its summer camps together each year for a youth summit.  This August saw the 16^th consecutive year of the ETSS Youth Summit in Central Ohio. 

First Thought: Simple welcoming gesture

The clap-in is a great way to open the Youth Summit.  As kids get off their buses and walk to the auditorium, the clappers do what they do—clap their hands. 

We clappers quickly learn that some of the kids are lifted by our clapping right away while some need a little more effort and attention.  As a four-year veteran clapper, I know I can focus my claps on a kid to see if I can turn a snarl into a smirk. 

A simple clap is a signal of welcoming. 

The clapping welcomes the children to a place to learn about each other’s cultures, gain community appreciation, and hone their leadership skills.  It’s a metaphor for something bigger: welcoming young people into new possibilities. 

Another Thought: A spark with STEM learning

Sharing the value of science, technology, engineering, and math skills with the youth can be just as simple.  It’s another simple, welcoming gesture. 

This year, our Port Authority brought industry partners along with us.  Young people explore everything from the physics of gyroscopes with a spinning bike wheel to engineering by mixing colored polycarbonate plastic pieces. 

Just as clapping can change a young person’s mood, seeing STEM skills at work can change how they imagine a future career. 

STEM learning is happening alongside burning off energy in soccer and volleyball.   Among the kids dreaming of becoming the next Lionel Messi may be some who discover they want to be the next Neil deGrasse Tyson. 

Third Thought: Seeing a future

Not every spark to a future career comes from inside the four walls of a classroom.  I know from experience that industry engagement can be, and is, inspiring.   I’ve watched the learners of 2006 become the engineers and scientists of 2026. 

Sometimes, simple industry engagement is all it takes to inspire.   It’s worth it if you inspire just one kid. 

STEM learning can give a young person hope for a future career.  The local relevance from meeting companies in their own community plants seeds for those future careers right here in Central Ohio. 

Five hundred young people gathered at one place.  Welcomed with a clap. Introduced to real-world STEM. Encouraged to imagine their future. 

Call me an optimist.  I believe these simple, welcoming gestures translate well. 

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This column is a regular column in The Columbus Dispatch.