Clearly, Mark has a limited view on AI and has not investigated areas that might hold positive benefits, the energy-hogging data centers notwithstanding. There’s no end of people pooh-poohing and raising flags about AI’s problems. For once, Mark is right (panel 1). So there must be something else, right?

Once again, Rivera plays Mark like the Batman in those 1960s TV shows, where he fights the same circle of comic villains, over and over. We’ll have to see if this really unfolds the way it is presented or is just a smokescreen for something else. Most of you have probably recalled a prior story about Mark investigating a missing journalist and bear activity at a mountain retreat for STEM professionals, (“Bear Necessity”, begun Feb 2023), only to run into a bevy of returning guest villains and a hidden agenda.

So what is Cricket Bro’s real motive? He was the behind-the-scenes inspiration for the recent conspiracy-based manatee kidnapping farce in Florida. Do you think that Cricket Bro is looking for revenge (once again)?

Okay, I’m going to withhold judgement for just a bit. We’ll assume the tie-in could have something to do with the environmental impact of large, energy-consuming data centers that also use lots of fresh water for cooling. Or, perhaps this audience of IT professionals is interested in how AI is being used in various environmental industries and programs. Who knows? But I would bet there would already be at least a few experts on those topics at this “tech conference.”

In any event, this topic involves detailed, technical issues and policies. Is Mark at all qualified to speak on them with any authority? Investigating wild horses in Utah and uncovering a hidden data center in the desert doesn’t amount to a lot of experience, but it’s better than nothing, I reckon. 

Maybe Mark doesn’t have to be a technical expert. Maybe he can take an ethical and philosophical position, assuming he is still aware of the current issues and ideas and how they are being handled. But I share Mark’s reaction in panel 4. This is not exactly in his wheelhouse and he runs the risk of looking ignorant and incompetent. Why does Bill Ellis think Mark Trail is qualified to give such a talk in the first place?

Perhaps Bill Ellis should have suggested Mark write a “weekly column” for Teen Sparkle Magazine or have Mark investigate an active volcano, as regular readers Daniel and Downpuppy commented yesterday.