From gold to water, California’s wealth was built on extraction. The AI boom is reviving an old question: who pays the price?I was a fourth-grader in the public schools of California when I first learned about the Gold Rush. I remember our teacher, Mrs Dyer, passing down the story in the manner of lore.On the morning of 24 January 1848, James Marshall, a New Jersey boy come west, stumbled upon four shiny nuggets alongside the American River. He tried to keep his discovery a secret, but the shout of “eureka” from the dirt streets of San Francisco rang out across the shore. It unleashed a force that could not be contained. Continue reading...
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jun/14/california-land-of-plunder-and-hypocrisy