<p><strong>​AI's Real Cost</strong></p><p><em>Creative Power vs. Planetary Limits</em></p><p>​<em>The machines are thirsty. </em>While AI transforms how we create content, it's consuming water like never before.</p><p>​Join us for a raw conversation about AI's double-edged reality: the creative revolution happening in your pocket versus the environmental reckoning happening in our backyards.</p><p>​We'll explore how Vancouver's creative community can lead by example… from indigenous-led data sovereignty to local compute clusters that heat your neighbor's home.</p><p><strong>AI Climate Paradox</strong></p><p>​<strong><em>Creative Power vs. Planetary Limits explores the tension between AI’s: explosive creative potential and its real-world environmental costs.</em></strong></p><p>​Let's dig into water and energy use in data centers, corporate responsibility, and community-led alternatives like indigenous-governed data and compute, heat recapture, and edge/local clusters.</p><p>​<strong>Opening</strong>: Is'gh'li-ya: Anthony Joseph</p><p>​<strong>Panelist: </strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://amandasilvera.carrd.co/">Amanda Silvera</a> Amanda founded the Society for Original Biometric Identity Rights (SOBIR) and Sobir Technologies (SOBIRTECH), two initiatives focused on protecting human voice identity and building ethical frameworks for biometric rights.</p><p>​<strong>Panelist: </strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://lizmars.com/">Liz Marshall</a>: Documentary filmmaker <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://lizmars.com/film/water-on-the-table/">investigating AI’s water </a>and energy footprint and the human-planet health link, from Great Lakes data center buildouts to right-to-water movements.</p><p>​<strong>Panelist: </strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/keibaritugo/"><strong>Kei Baritugo</strong></a>: Montreal AI Ethics Institute strategist highlighting power gaps and pushing for AI as an assistive tool, transparency, and policy that protects creative labor.</p><p>​<strong>Panelist: </strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.kevinfriel.com/">Kevin Friel</a>: AI filmmaker advancing ethical, local-first production workflows, from edge compute to heat reuse, and championing accountable tools like carbon impact tracking.</p><p>​<strong>Moderator:</strong> <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceowarren/">Catherine Warren</a>: Entertainment and innovation leader with climate physics roots, former CEO of Vancouver Economic Commission, and founder of <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://fantrust.com/">Fan Trust</a>, steering ethical AI and sustainability across media.</p><p>​How creators, technologists, and policy folks in BC can measure impact, make better choices, and build an ethical, resilient creative economy together.</p><p><strong>​</strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://bc-ai.net/"><strong>ABOUT VANCOUVER AI &amp; THE BC + AI ECOSYSTEM</strong></a></p><p>​<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://luma.com/vancouver-ai">Vancouver AI </a>was just the start.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://bc-ai.ca/"> BC's AI Ecosystem</a> continues to grow, with new community hubs emerging in Surrey, Victoria, Kelowna, and beyond—each contributing unique perspectives to a thriving, interconnected network.</p><p>​<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://bc-ai.ca/">BC + AI</a> represents a collective, province-wide effort to democratize AI knowledge, innovation, and opportunity.</p>