Anti-AI Populism Gains Ground in US as 19 States Weigh Data Center Curbs
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Jun 7
Anti-AI Populism Gains Ground in US as 19 States Weigh Data Center Curbs
3 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Jun 7
Summary
More than 70% of Americans say AI is developing too fast, and that anxiety is already feeding anti-AI politics in the US rather than remaining a cultural backlash.
Nineteen states have or are considering restrictions on data centers, as worries spread over job losses, higher energy costs, land use, privacy and inequality.
Washington is showing the same pressure: Elizabeth Warren has proposed taxing AI companies, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez want a national data-center moratorium, and Josh Hawley has warned Republicans of a political cost.
Goldman Sachs estimates 300 million jobs worldwide could be exposed to automation over the next decade, a risk that could turn a major AI-related shock into a broader populist movement.
That backlash could widen beyond the US as rich countries pour more money into AI, raising the risk that heavy-handed curbs blunt productivity gains before benefits are widely felt.