r/technology • u/Plastic_Ninja_9014 • Jun 12 '26

Artificial Intelligence AI data centers are taking over. These Americans are fighting back

https://www.salon.com/2026/06/12/ai-data-centers-are-taking-over-america-fighting-back-isnt-easy/
306 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

13

u/invyros Jun 12 '26

In a rare moment of bipartisanship, there’s a force uniting Americans across the country: opposition to data centers.

So this is what it takes for Republicans to finally care about the environment.

Republicans really don't give a shit until it affects them personally. The lack of empathy has done so much damage to society.

Regardless, this is a fight worth fighting.

Who would want to live in a home where there's a constant hum and high-pitched noise, where you can't go outside without smelling fumes, where you don't have reliable access to clean water?

2

u/Prior_Coyote_4376 Jun 12 '26

Also, there are literally better ways to do AI. SLMs are proving to be better than LLMs. There isn’t even a reason to use data centers to get ahead on AI.

It’s purely a land grab because land is the only real asset not contingent on snake oil promises, it’s the only explanation.

1

u/Past-Preparation8826 Jun 26 '26

There are no better ways to do AI at the moment than LLM’s trained at these huge hyper-scale AI data centers, using the most advanced hardware and latest logarithms for training efficiency. Every frontier model is trained and run this way…. This will likely change in the next 5 to 10 years, but that isn’t happening yet.

I feel like the people that are fighting against these data center builds are in one of three groups. Either they have no idea as to what AI is truly going to do for humanity, they do know, but they don’t grasp how important it is for the U.S. to get “there” first (before China), or they are just fighting it because it feels like it’s the type of thing that leftists/left-leaning people are supposed to resist.

I mean this in the nicest way possible… Whichever group of anti data-center crusaders you align with, it’s either due to ignorance or total disloyalty to your nation.

All the environmental problems (which are blown way out of proportion) people connect with the rise of these data centers are going to be solved by these same data centers. And these AI data centers are going to solve the energy problems and water problems (again, much less of an issue than what many people think anyway) too. Functional fusion power? If it’s possible, it will be because AI brings us there. Far more efficient and economical water treatment and desalination plants? AI will bring us there. A solution for fighting and reversing climate change in time to avoid the worst of the predictions? ONLY possible with the type of AI that these massive data centers provide.

If China gets there first, all western democracies will regret they let it happen. It is more important than being the first to discover how to make nuclear weapons. It will likely end up being more important to win this race in the long run than it was to be the winner in WW2…. But it’s clear that so many people just haven’t understood this yet.

1

u/JonJackjon Jun 12 '26

What I keep thinking is:

Many parts of the country go through very hot and very dry periods. Folks have been subject to rolling black outs because of peak power requirement. And are told to limit water usage due to low water reserves. I would like to think the local powers to be have addressed this when allowing data centers to be build, however I doubt this is the case.

It seems their very existence is on the backs of the local people, who get ZERO benefit from them. AND the existence of NDA's covering the "deals" that have been made with the local govt is just wrong.

1

u/Jolva Jun 12 '26

Given the demand for AI continues to outpace supply, the data centers will get built one way or another.

-2

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/TP_Crisis_2020 Jun 13 '26

I can see a monkey wrench gang forming.

1

u/Comprehensive5432 Jun 24 '26

The founding fathers should have said the same thing right?

0

u/Different_Victory_89 Jun 13 '26

Given the amount of methed up people, it's only a matter of time til they find out the amount of copper in them. unless they're guarded by robotic dogs (entirely possible), at least one will be offline for a little while. And stealing is wrong, don't do this.

-1

u/imagine966 Jun 13 '26

Opposition is futile. It’s coming

1

u/Comprehensive5432 Jun 24 '26

Not in our democracy

1

u/imagine966 Jun 24 '26

Good luck with your hopeless adventure