The AI industry, while concerned about potential job displacement and the risks of rogue AI, overlooked the significant public opposition to data center construction. Historically, data center development was often incentivized by cities and states through their tax codes, making the current widespread opposition a surprising shift.
Independent writer Jasmine Sun traveled to Wisconsin and Michigan to report on communities and activists actively trying to halt data center development. Her findings shed light on the core reasons behind this pushback and what future developers will need to do to gain local acceptance.
This oversight by the AI industry highlights a disconnect between internal industry anxieties and the actual public concerns that have become most prominent.
