<![CDATA[Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined.]]>Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined.

At some point, society needs to be asking what the benefit-to-cost value is to all this, because we could just tax all this money from billionaires and do stuff with it that’s actually useful.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/0f3e6678-56b3-49af-92cb-a0db2708b5fb/correcting-for-inflation-by-the-end-of-2026-we-will-have-spent-more-on-ai-than-we-spent-building-the-entire-interstate-highway-system-and-the-transcontinental-railroads-all-four-of-them-combined.RSS for NodeFri, 15 May 2026 06:56:25 GMTSat, 18 Apr 2026 14:42:08 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:54 GMT]]>@shoq Explain "Not interchangeable pools of money". When our major problems are not AI and it's all speculation that it will have some "wisdom". Lets face real problems, starting with our environment, starvation around the world, War's of no meaning except death. Morons who think they are god, that they have a right to compel the rest of us to follow them "Just on account of because" they are wealthy or powerful.

Money is simple, it's all one pool, Money spent here is not spent there.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/A_Minion/statuses/116517320435514500https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/A_Minion/statuses/116517320435514500Mon, 04 May 2026 16:46:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 16:09:46 GMT]]>This comparison is fundamentally broken. It mixes private capital chasing returns with public spending funded by taxpayer. Those are not interchangeable pools of money. You can’t just “tax it instead” without eliminating the very investment driving the growth.

More importantly, it treats AI like a static project (roads, rail) instead of what it actually is: a general-purpose productivity technology, like electricity or computing, that increases output across every industry. The benefit isn’t …

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/shoq/statuses/116517174389893802https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/shoq/statuses/116517174389893802Mon, 04 May 2026 16:09:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 13:16:31 GMT]]>@OGJester Thank you!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.pt/users/catarinac/statuses/116516493163170064https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.pt/users/catarinac/statuses/116516493163170064Mon, 04 May 2026 13:16:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 13:15:26 GMT]]>@catarinac This seems to be the source of the image:

Link Preview Image
Bull of the Day: Bloom Energy (BE)

The biggest bottleneck to the AI revolution isn't chips or software-it's the power to run them. With the U.S. electrical grid reaching its breaking point, big tech is turning to on-site generation to keep the lights on.

favicon

Zacks Investment Research (www.zacks.com)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pnw.zone/ap/users/116263446192675202/statuses/116516488928155784https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pnw.zone/ap/users/116263446192675202/statuses/116516488928155784Mon, 04 May 2026 13:15:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 12:59:07 GMT]]>@catarinac I’m doing some digging… I will let you know what I find.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pnw.zone/ap/users/116263446192675202/statuses/116516424726462703https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pnw.zone/ap/users/116263446192675202/statuses/116516424726462703Mon, 04 May 2026 12:59:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 12:04:31 GMT]]>@OGJester hi, does the graph come with a news source? just so I can quote it

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.pt/users/catarinac/statuses/116516210066824430https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.pt/users/catarinac/statuses/116516210066824430Mon, 04 May 2026 12:04:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 11:48:38 GMT]]>@OGJester

This is Capital trying to save itself by swimming against the rip current.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://neuromatch.social/ap/users/115969802516976292/statuses/116516147581249399https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://neuromatch.social/ap/users/115969802516976292/statuses/116516147581249399Mon, 04 May 2026 11:48:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 11:26:25 GMT]]>@OGJester I would prefer to build a self-sufficient lunar habitat, but I think the overinvestment in AI will yield cheap HPC infrastructure that’ll help further other goals.

Military spending would be a nice thing to cut and shift part of the resources to soft diplomacy.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/rbanffy/statuses/116516060255088882https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/rbanffy/statuses/116516060255088882Mon, 04 May 2026 11:26:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 06:56:56 GMT]]>@OGJester
Investor: with this money, we could build a country connected by train
CEO: OR, with this money, we could have fewer employees
Investor: take my money

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.online/users/Rakun/statuses/116515000612419591https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.online/users/Rakun/statuses/116515000612419591Mon, 04 May 2026 06:56:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 05:11:36 GMT]]>@OGJester

Yes thank you, thats the correct path.

Towns and small cities are doing the heavy lifting now, they shouldn't be alone.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/kevinrns/statuses/116514586380189091https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/kevinrns/statuses/116514586380189091Mon, 04 May 2026 05:11:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 04:41:59 GMT]]>@KanaMauna No doubt.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pnw.zone/ap/users/116263446192675202/statuses/116514469927144658https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pnw.zone/ap/users/116263446192675202/statuses/116514469927144658Mon, 04 May 2026 04:41:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 04:35:15 GMT]]>@OGJester

That's...a lot. Wouldn't it have been easier if the billionaires just cosplayed in Galt's Gulch.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://sauropods.win/users/KanaMauna/statuses/116514443478936234https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://sauropods.win/users/KanaMauna/statuses/116514443478936234Mon, 04 May 2026 04:35:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Mon, 04 May 2026 03:50:32 GMT]]>@OGJester but they wouldn't invest money for useful things - at least not for useful things that are usefull for most people

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://troet.cafe/users/energisch_/statuses/116514267610115726https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://troet.cafe/users/energisch_/statuses/116514267610115726Mon, 04 May 2026 03:50:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Sat, 02 May 2026 21:56:47 GMT]]>@bastelwombat Regardless of whether it’s actual money or circular investing, real data centers are being built, and they’re consuming real energy.

Our entire economy has become scam-based, so I guess this all tracks.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pnw.zone/ap/users/116263446192675202/statuses/116507214330822802https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://pnw.zone/ap/users/116263446192675202/statuses/116507214330822802Sat, 02 May 2026 21:56:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Sat, 02 May 2026 21:11:50 GMT]]>@OGJester But is it real money? Aren't most of the AI numbers based on this circular "investing" in each other scam?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://chaos.social/users/bastelwombat/statuses/116507037572888318https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://chaos.social/users/bastelwombat/statuses/116507037572888318Sat, 02 May 2026 21:11:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Sat, 02 May 2026 20:59:59 GMT]]>@OGJester

Link Preview Image
]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fedihum.org/users/rnsrk/statuses/116506990961892289https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fedihum.org/users/rnsrk/statuses/116506990961892289Sat, 02 May 2026 20:59:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Sat, 02 May 2026 20:09:40 GMT]]>@Rhodium103 @OGJester oh that’s ok we’re all here to pitch in and bail them out, those investors won’t even miss their tee time.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/Moss/statuses/116506793094569609https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/Moss/statuses/116506793094569609Sat, 02 May 2026 20:09:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Sat, 02 May 2026 18:35:06 GMT]]>@OGJester
It's going to make a hell of a pop when it goes.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/Rhodium103/statuses/116506421281042200https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/Rhodium103/statuses/116506421281042200Sat, 02 May 2026 18:35:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Correcting for inflation, by the end of 2026, we will have spent more on AI than we spent building the entire Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroads (all four of them) combined. on Sat, 02 May 2026 16:01:34 GMT]]>@OGJester
"At some point, society needs to be asking what the benefit-to-cost value is to all this (AI) is"

I think you need to go beyond asking what the benefit-to-cost ratio is.
I suspect that the sign is actually negative (because of the negative net benefit to society and for that matter our continued civilised existence on earth).

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.linux.pizza/users/marjolica/statuses/116505817554174507https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.linux.pizza/users/marjolica/statuses/116505817554174507Sat, 02 May 2026 16:01:34 GMT