On-Prem<\/p>\n
AI and the bit barns that power it have developed a serious PR problem<\/p>\n
The majority of Americans are now opposed to datacenters
\nbeing built in their area, many strongly opposed, pointing to tough times
\nahead for site developers.<\/p>\n
A Gallup The polling shows how quickly AI server farms have become politically toxic in the US, not helped by stories about their effects on energy To highlight this, Gallup found that more US residents are When it comes to the reasons for opposing AI campuses, half Quality-of-life concerns such as increased traffic were put Many were worried about AI specifically: that it would replace human workers, that they don’t trust it, that it is moving too fast, and that the industry needs regulating. Perhaps the latter sentiment is why Conversely, those in favor of datacenters cite economic However, these people are perhaps laboring under some This being America in 2026, Gallup looked at how attitudes Gallup points out the contradiction: for AI usage to expand in the US, facilities that can handle the necessary computing power will The Register\u00a0noted this last year, when Emma
\nsurvey<\/a> found more than 70 percent of respondents indicate they would be
\nagainst the construction of an AI datacenter in their neighboorhood, with almost half
\n(48 percent) saying they were strongly opposed. Only 27 percent were in favor.<\/p>\n
\nbills, slurping up water supplies, and creating air and noise pollution in
\ntheir vicinity.<\/p>\n
\nopposed to massive data halls than to having a nuclear power plant in their
\nbackyard: 53 percent of Americans oppose building a nuclear energy site nearby,
\ncompared with the 71 percent against datacenter construction.<\/p>\n
\nof all respondents cite the effect on resources, with excess water usage and
\npotential power grid constraints topping the list. Concern about loss of farmland and nature was surprisingly low, with just 7 percent mentioning this, but it is possible the
\nscores are higher in rural areas.<\/p>\n
\nforward by nearly a quarter, while a fifth mentioned higher utility bills.<\/p>\n
\nPresident Trump appears to have shifted his own position on the need
\nfor AI regulations<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nbenefits, with 55 percent mentioning increased job opportunities, and 13
\npercent saying it is because of increased tax revenues.<\/p>\n
\ndelusions, as datacenters generally deliver few long-term local jobs once they
\nare operational, and far from increasing tax revenue, many benefit from generous
\ntax subsidy schemes that are costing some individual US states upward of $1 billion<\/a> in lost income each year. <\/p>\n
\nstack up depending on political affiliation. It found that Democrats, at 56 percent, are much more likely than Republicans to be strongly opposed to a server farm in their vicinity. But 39 percent of Republicans are also strongly opposed, while another 24 percent are somewhat averse to it, and only about a third are in favor.<\/p>\n
\nhave to be built. But most Americans appear to take a “not in my backyard”
\nattitude to new bit barns, and that attitude has grown in strength.<\/p>\n
\nFryer, public policy director for datacenter operator CyrusOne, said:
\n“People don’t make a connection between the digital services they depend
\non every minute of every day of their lives and the fact that providing them
\nevery minute of every day of their lives requires industrial-scale
\ninfrastructure.”<\/p>\n