Labor Day traditionally ends summer; it also served as a time for some to reflect on the rapidly changing world around us as technology marches forward.

There is no shortage of headlines about angry citizens demanding moratoria on data centers, but Daniel Castro published a commentary on Monday in Information Technology and Innovation Foundation about all the things communities risk losing by rejecting technology infrastructure in their communities. The financial losses, of course, topped the list, but Castro went deeper. The losses go far beyond money to career development and the strengthening of communities for the future. He highlights, for example, the workforce training corporations are investing in that move people to work into the data center industry, as well as outside that industry. He also discusses the massive investment in water and electric grids that are shoring up aging systems and the investment in clean energy. Tightly written, it’s a laundry list of community benefits data center infrastructure is making possible.

And from the world of academia, Virginia Tech professor Hyesoo Yoo describes how she is using AI to teach future music educators not just to use the tool, but to keep human creativity at the center of it. She gives an example from using AI to better develop intercultural music appreciation skills. “Students can prompt AI to create a melody inspired by the Korean traditional pentatonic scale or a melody influenced by Indian raga style,” she begins. By comparing the generated music with the original, and analysing the results, students can discuss how closely the AI output reflects cultural elements, which elements seem representative, which appear less so, and whether the cultural characteristics are meaningfully represented. Through this process, students not only explore diverse musical traditions but also develop critical awareness of the strengths and limitations of AI in representing intercultural musical perspectives.”