The exploited workers building Europe’s data centres

Investigate Europe published an investigation Electrocutions, ‘mental terror’ and withheld wages: The exploited workers building Europe’s data centres (warning: the article displays some graphic images):

A five-month investigation by Investigate Europe and media partners in nine countries reveals the harsh realities facing some working on the continent’s vast AI infrastructure developments.

“It will create good jobs” is often used as an argument to promote AI data center construction. This article about building AI data centers in Europe show how the word good doesn’t mean what it means. And Europe has stronger worker regulation.

In all areas, AI is used as a weapon against labour. From software development, to AI generated images or music (it’s not art), and to customer service, with all the workers the technology is supposed to replace, or with the poor working conditions of the invisible labour behind training models or building data center.