US Anti-Tech Revolt Spreads to 142 Groups in 24 States as AI Backlash Hits Midterms
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 20
US Anti-Tech Revolt Spreads to 142 Groups in 24 States as AI Backlash Hits Midterms
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 20
Summary
At least 142 activist groups across 24 states are now organizing against datacenter construction and expansion, as opposition to AI and big tech broadens into a nationwide grassroots campaign.
Local fights center on land, water, electricity prices, noise and surveillance, while critics also frame AI as a wider threat to jobs, democracy, mental health and human agency.
More than 1,000 nurses and community members marched in San Francisco in September urging hospitals to cut ties with Palantir, and New York City has moved to ban AI for students through eighth grade.
New groups including Mothers Against Media Addiction, the Association for Human Mathematics and Irreplaceable.org are widening the pushback, alongside lawsuits against Meta over harms to children.
With surveys showing most Americans want to pause AI, the backlash is emerging as a 2026 midterm issue and a test of politicians' alignment with tech companies.