Fast on the heels of state Sen. Wayne Fontana predicting in a news story that an expanded, and taxpayer-subsidized, Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer stadium at Station Square will create a “tremendous” economic boon to the city and Allegheny County, the Brookline Democrat is back with a rah-rah-sis-boom-bah boilerplate commentary in a local newspaper pol-pimping that “Pittsburgh is poised for a Third Renaissance.”
And that new rainmaker, er, “renaissance” maker, he says, is artificial intelligence (AI).
Admitting that he does “not understand all of the technical aspects of AI and robotics, or their capabilities,” he says he does know “when opportunity is knocking — and Pittsburgh’s moment to seize that opportunity is now,” by golly.
But, seriously, folks, one is left to wonder if that AI “wonder” known as a chatbot wrote this missive.
To wit, Fontana, or his ghost writer, or his ghost writer using a chatbot, reels off such hackneyed gems as “The previous renaissances did not happen by accident”; “We were not bystanders watching change appear out of thin air”; “Pittsburghers at those times chose to act when opportunity came.”
Then there’s “Once again, it is time for Pittsburghers to act”; “We must act with thoughtfulness and purpose”; “We must convey our vision …”; “We must lay out how this industry will work for everyone”; “It is time for our leaders to lead.”
Of course, Fontana, the ghost, or the chatbot in his and/or its cheerleading for the generalities of the obligatory and shopworn pol-speak, and by omission, doesn’t address the histrionic elephant in the commentary:
All the supposed “renaissances” in Pittsburgh history have presided over its continuing decline: Population stagnation or loss. Jobs stagnation or loss. Economic stagnation or loss. Then, repeated government interventions to cover the lie of the last batch of failed government interventions.
“Renaissance?” Sorry, but it’s more akin to building new Potemkin Village facades to replace the predictably deteriorated prior Potemkin Village.
If done “right,” Fontana says, “the AI revolution will position the commonwealth as a hub for technological advancement, with Pittsburgh as the industry leader.”
The senator says he’s confident that with a “unified and directed vision — focused on economic growth and not hamstrung by political egos and partisanship — it will bring investment and vitality to [downtown Pittsburgh] and to our region.”
The way tax-subsidized baseball and football stadiums and a hockey arena did, Senator?
The way the heavily taxpayer-subsidized Nordstrom’s and Lord & Taylor department stores did?
The way the totally taxpayer-funded North Shore Connector did, sir?
The way PNC Bank’s new skyscraper, funded with $40 million in public money, did, Mr. Fontana?
The way the heavily taxpayer “incentivized” Shell “cracker plant” in Beaver County did?
The way heavily taxpayer-backed airlines/flights have at Pittsburgh International Airport?
Not, not, not, not, not and not.
Yet Fontana insists “a third [AI-powered] renaissance will create new permanent job opportunities that will attract young professionals to our state and have a positive impact on the future of our city.”
“Here’s our chance to write our next chapter. Let us not watch this opportunity pass us by,” Fontana implores. “A renaissance requires broad, sustained leadership, not by just one person, but many,” he concludes.
Fontana doesn’t necessarily understand AI. But he’s sure it will be a winner. We’re surprised he didn’t use the phrase “We’re moving forward into the future!”
Lest we be branded as AI Luddites, we will heartily stipulate that artificial intelligence research indeed is and will continue to be quite important, for good and, sadly, perhaps for ill.
Its rollout will create the demand for a variety of jobs, from those who build the associated massive data centers, to those who design and operate them, to those who must figure out how to meet their massive electricity and water-cooling demands.
That said, however, as we’ve noted previously, AI data centers employ relatively few people once they are up and running. They likely are not to be the be-all and end-all that far too many people claim they will be.
And blindly cheerleading them as Fontana does, with generality-filled bromides and cliches that suggest a basic ignorance of the important issue at hand, serves no useful purpose in the formation of, and the debate over, sound public policy.
Colin McNickle is communications and marketing director at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy (cmcnickle@alleghenyinstitute.org).
