Less Popular Than Coal

Voters rejected AI data centers across nearly 50 ballot measures in the recent U.S. election, with every measure appearing to limit further construction, and a data center moratorium featured in Gina Hinojosa’s successful campaign to become Texas’s first Democratic governor in over 30 years. Summer polling had already shown Americans would rather live near a coal plant than a data center, and the election results confirmed that sentiment was real. The backlash matters because data centers are the most visible symbol of an AI industry whose economic gains are concentrated in few hands, even as adoption and stock indices rise. Industry leaders have compounded the problem by warning that AI may eliminate jobs, predicting a greater than 10% chance their companies could kill everyone on earth, committing felonious cybercrimes over the summer, and visibly embracing the Trump administration. Watch whether AI companies adjust their public messaging and siting strategies, or continue to face local opposition as construction expands.