Letterbox: Sinking money into AI may not be the most intelligent investment

Dear editor,

When we talk about nation-building projects and investing in data centers, why aren’t we thinking about the original public data centres – our libraries?

With the U.S. making life difficult for all Canadians, from our livelihoods to the expense of goods escalating, I fully support the idea of nation-building projects, investing in our economy, and most of all, investing in building capacity and resilience in our people. I’m just not sure I agree with where we are concentrating our investments.

When we think of investing in things that bring us together as a nation, things that we know have significant return on investment economically, that lead to thriving communities, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Our libraries come to mine.

We as a society need projects that build up our communities and our people, from 1 to 100 years old. I also vehemently disagree with the billions of dollars that the provincial and federal governments are investing in AI and Data Centres, particularly if we are not similarly investing in people. To be clear, I understand there are some positive uses for AI in our social systems and economy, but without some sort of basic income or safety nets for jobs that may become obsolete, it doesn’t seem like the obvious solution for building a robust economy for working people. Investing money in one particular technology to attract companies feels more like taking knowledge that has been built publicly for private gain. More to the point, it is not investing in our people and our communities.

Our libraries are known to have amazing return on investment, in education, skills building, and information sharing. The Canadian Federation of Library Association estimates that for every dollar invested in libraries, this equates to $6 dollars in economic and social outputs (estimates from the US Library Research Service estimate up to $9).

Our entrepreneurs can use resources to start their businesses or learn missing skills, single parents can get help there when upskilling, and so importantly children learn to love knowledge seeking and literature. The curiosity and access to new ideas and supporting information that our libraries provide and spark is unparalleled. They encourage entrepreneurial thinking, sometimes by starting new businesses, but fostering the mindset of how do you pivot and make yourself open to emerging opportunities in a rapidly changing world. Generations of Canadians need these types of skills.

They are an investment in critical thinking in a time when that is getting outsourced to artificial intelligence. They also offer stories from across cultures and ground us in our shared humanity in a time of polarization.

They are the people’s living room. A place where all walks of life are welcome, where you can casually meet friends, learn something new, and build community. They are also support services to those who come to our communities from far away to help them learn a new language, navigate unfamiliar social systems, and bridge cultural barriers. They are also critical social supports, often offering information on taxes and connections to services, seniors and accessibility services, as well as health education. These are all investments in poverty reduction, which is critical in a time of growing inequity and uncertainty.

They also save the public likely thousands per year in the cost of books, electronics, movies, games, puzzles, bat-packs, musical instruments – the list goes on and expands as libraries shift to meet changing needs.

Unfortunately, funding for libraries is shrinking, both for programing and for the expansions that many communities need. Provincial investment has stagnated over the years, and federal funding only being available sporadically when grants are announced (I still think it’s important to have plans ready to apply when we can, but that’s not predictable). Recent asks by the Union of B.C. Municipalities are in the realm of $30 million, which in the grand theme of provincial and federal budgets is very small. Without funding for space and collections, Local governments and libraries are being asked to do more with less at a time when we need investment in people the most.

Libraries are the ultimate data centres. When we talk about projects that would really build our nation and our communities and build an educated and adaptable populus, Libraries are the ultimate investment.

Amy Lubik
Port Moody City Councillor