More and more Americans want to curb the growing spread of data centers for AI

Data centers are fundamental for the proper functioning of artificial intelligence services. Companies in the sector are therefore investing heavily and intend to significantly strengthen infrastructure, especially in the USA.

However, many Americans are opposing the rapid expansion of data centers. Protests against data center construction are on the rise.

Evidence arrived in recent days, with a series of protests in various American states. The protests (the cover features a stock image, not a photo of the actual protests) were coordinated by HumansFirst, which opposes the "uncontrolled" construction of data centers that would represent an "unacceptable violation of our freedom".

The tally from last weekend is clear: on Saturday alone, there were 142 protests in 42 American states. There are no precise data on the number of protesters who took part in the initiative. In some cases, however, the protests registered lower participation than expected, as reported by the organizers.

Among the demands of the groups that coordinated the protests are transparency in the development process, the protection of resources and environmental health, community benefits such as the creation of well-paid union jobs, and a mechanism to hold infrastructure owners accountable if they fail to meet their commitments.

Recent surveys confirm the opposition of many Americans to rapid expansion: according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey from June, only one-third of respondents approve of the pace of data center construction in the United States, while 14% of respondents would support the construction of a data center in their community to support the AI projects of various big tech companies.