A weekly (or more, or less) round-up of interesting links and sources regarding struggles and victories against AI and its ilk. We try to start with a “Yay!” but follow up with nays.
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Syndicalist union organizing gets Microsoft sub-contractor to pay 15 million SEK in unpaid wages to migrant workers employed in DC construction.
“Det här är det första svenska kollektivavtalet som är skrivet av och för migrantarbetare. Det kan få så långt gående konsekvenser för så många andra människor att det måste nog rankas som störst.”
This win for labor rights stands against a backdrop of more widespread exploitation of (migrant) labor involved in the construction of European data centers.
The European data center build out relies on an exploited work force
By Mei-Ling McNamara and Jan Daalder: “A five-month investigation led by Investigate Europe with media partners in nine countries into working conditions on data centre sites across Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands reveals that Sandu’s case is far from unique.
In extensive interviews with migrant workers at flagship sites where large US tech companies are operating, reporters found evidence of debilitating injuries, squalid living conditions, an unreported infectious outbreak, unpaid wages and exploitative employment practices.“
Norway suspends electricity grid access for new data centers
Data centre applications are being suspended for a year, the Norwegian high-voltage grid operator Statnett has announced, with pending connection requests already threatening a tenfold increase of server capacity across the country.
https://www.rapporteur.com/news/norway-suspends-electricity-grid-access-for-new-data-centres/
AI and Health: It is healthy to know
Danish health authorities start 2026 campaign against using AI for health advice. While the text generator outputs a text full of confidence, the content can not be relied on.
https://www.sundhed.dk/borger/service/kontakt/hjaelp-borger/oevrige/temaside-borgerkampagne-ai-2026/
Indonesian drought & data center build-out create water scarcity
By AFP “Frustration is bubbling over in Indonesia and Malaysia — especially in regions bordering Singapore that are seen as a prime location for new tech facilities.
At first the main reaction was, “thank God industry is coming” to Batam, 54-year-old tradesman Juniardi Adinda Sembiring Gurukinayan told AFP.
But severe recent outages hitting the municipal water service in some Batam communities meant “sometimes I skipped my shower”.“
https://www.afp.com/en/cant-cook-or-shower-indonesians-take-aim-data-centres