71% oppose data centers nearby
Polls show 71% of people say they do not want a data center built near them, reflecting broad public anxiety about AI infrastructure.
Snapshot · This Week in Tech (Audio)
TWiT 1090: Flock of SQLs - Apple & Microsoft Grapple With Soaring Hardware Prices
Explore episode
Jun 29, 2026
Where this was said
AI Backlash: Organic Fear Amplified by Foreign Disinformation
At 24:03 · chapter starts 22:20
As the conversation turns to public sentiment around AI, Dan Patterson pulls from fresh Blackbird AI research to offer a nuanced picture. The backlash against AI and data centers is real and organic — people have legitimate concerns about jobs, privacy, energy consumption, and the rapid pace of change — but it is also being systematically amplified. Russian and Chinese inauthentic accounts push these narratives into new communities faster and make them seem louder than they actually are. Leo Laporte shares polling data that crystallises the scale of public scepticism: 71% of people say they don't want a data center near them, and only 18% trust AI search results. Daniel Rubino identifies a deeper structural problem: unlike previous technology waves that grew organically from enthusiast communities, AI is being imposed from the top down by companies requiring enormous capital. Ordinary consumers haven't seen meaningful personal benefits, only threats to their livelihoods and a flood of AI-generated slop on social media. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy adds that her daughter's generation is viscerally opposed to AI, particularly around creative jobs and what she sees as the unchecked release of technology whose creators don't fully understand its capabilities.
AI Backlash: Organic Fear Amplified by Russian and Chinese Disinformation
Public backlash against AI and data centers is genuinely organic — but it hits communities faster and seems louder than it really is because Russian and Chinese inauthentic accounts amplify it. The fear is real; the scale is manufactured.
Only 18% trust AI search results
Only 18% of people say they trust the AI-generated search results they receive, indicating deep public skepticism about AI reliability.
The Fable Rug Pull: How the White House Blocked America's Best AI
The Trump administration blocked Anthropic's Fable model without congressional consultation or scientific review, labeling an American company a 'supply chain risk.' France and China immediately released competing models, and developers learned they can't count on American AI platforms.
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