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Djoerd Hiemstra 🍉djoerd@idf.social
Jun 5, 2026, 8:24 AM
And then there's the elephant in the room: AI of the chatbot and generative kind needs large amounts of energy. Letting a chatbot check the grammar and spelling of your text costs a million times more energy than the old Word grammar check (I am generous here, likely hundreds of million times). It's a completely UNSUSTAINABLE technology. Data centers are being built everywhere that strain the electricity grid and use water for cooling. AI is a big threat to the energy transition.
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Replies

Djoerd Hiemstra 🍉djoerd@idf.social
Jun 5, 2026, 8:27 AM
To conclude, I feel ashamed by the "AI and sustainability" strategy of the university, I cannot support it. The consultants that wrote the strategy missed two red flags. 🚩1 Some of our most talented professors object! A university strategy should be based on consensus. If your strategy is a comprise, forget it! 🚩2 AI is a horrendously unsustainable technology taking all the surplus electricity we have. You simply cannot have both AI and sustainability: Make up your mind, Radboud University!
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Ed.ucatorEdwinvMeerkerk@social.edu.nl
Jun 5, 2026, 10:23 AM
@djoerd I coudln't agree more, thank you.
Plus: if a university wants to profile itself in 2026 and chooses AI to be a discerning characteristic, their view of the research field is rather clouded
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Djoerd Hiemstra 🍉djoerd@idf.social
Jun 5, 2026, 11:01 AM
@EdwinvMeerkerk thanks, yes, clouded indeed, and in the cloud as well.
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Erik van Zijstprutser@mas.to
Jun 7, 2026, 9:06 AM
@djoerd
> However, any strategy that is a compromise is a failed strategy. A common strategy must have consensus.
Do you imply there must be absolute, unanimous agreement?
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Djoerd Hiemstra 🍉djoerd@idf.social
Jun 7, 2026, 4:00 PM
@prutser I mean the same level of unanimous agreement as for the "sustainability" strategy. I don't think anyone has objections there, not that I heared of.
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Erik van Zijstprutser@mas.to
Jun 7, 2026, 4:05 PM
@djoerd don't mean to be pedantic, but are there different levels of unanimity?
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Djoerd Hiemstra 🍉djoerd@idf.social
Jun 7, 2026, 4:42 PM
@prutser yes, you're pedantic
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