Americans Turn Against AI Data Centers as Support Plunge Runs 3 Times Deeper Than Post-Three Mile Island
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 10
Americans Turn Against AI Data Centers as Support Plunge Runs 3 Times Deeper Than Post-Three Mile Island
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 10
Summary
Public support for data centers has fallen sharply as Americans increasingly link them to artificial intelligence rather than just to water use, power demand and land disruption.
Less than a quarter of Americans expect AI to improve areas including K-12 education, jobs, the economy, personal relationships or happiness over the next 20 years, underscoring the distrust driving the backlash.
That skepticism reflects broader anger at Big Tech, which critics say spent two decades exploiting users, worsening social harms and pushing technology into schools without delivering shared gains.
Trump last month defended the build-out by warning opponents they would make the country “backwards and poor,” but the article argues AI companies cannot force expansion without rebuilding public trust.
The clash matters beyond local siting fights because a sustained revolt against data centers could slow an industry seen as important to U.S. economic growth and national security.