One signal

A new documentary is tracing the physical supply chain behind AI, from quartz mines in the Appalachians to chip plants in Taiwan and click-workers in Kenya. The film, directed by Jannes Callens, is heading to the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei.

Variety says The Technological Sublime also follows lithium fields in Chile and the undersea cables that carry data. Its focus is the people and environmental costs behind technology that can otherwise seem to float, conveniently, somewhere in the cloud. It’s a useful reminder that AI infrastructure has a very physical footprint. The film’s account is a documentary’s perspective, not a full audit of the industry, but it puts some often-hidden parts of that supply chain on screen.

Discuss: Should documentaries about AI’s supply chain focus more on the technology’s human and environmental costs, or on the benefits it enables?

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