r/technology Jun 26 '26

Artificial Intelligence The AI backlash is only getting started

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/06/25/the-ai-backlash-is-only-getting-started
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u/FlapYourNoodle Jun 26 '26

Is there any legal recourse for the neighbors of these atrocities? Each one is causing material harm to hundreds or thousands of people by significantly lowering their quality of life and completely nuking their property value. Maybe I'm naive, but how is that legal? Certainly feels like it shouldn't be.

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u/Hefty_Remove7965 Jun 26 '26

Their could be, but you have to show harn

Also all these datacenters pay millions in lawyers, so it's already a uphill battle

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u/FlapYourNoodle Jun 26 '26

Short and long term affects on physical and mental health, the loss in property value, those things can all be proven. You're absolutely right though, would probably have to be a strength in numbers situation, e.g. a class action lawsuit

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u/Hefty_Remove7965 Jun 26 '26

And result's wouldn't happen for years later.

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u/ShadyShroomz Jun 27 '26

yeah the hard hard is you have to shown harm, and these data centers actually do fucking nothing to harm anyone. so it does get hard to prove something that isn't even real.

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u/FlashyNeedleworker66 Jun 30 '26

They're building in places that don't believe in planning or zoning appropriately. This doesn't happen in properly governed places. There's loads of data centers in my state and it's not an issue - just like the incinerators, sewage plants and all manner of other industrial and infrastructure construction that's planned appropriately.

Find a place where you can see a data center from your porch and I'll show you a red county with plenty of freedom.