China Didn't Make People Hate Data Centers
Key takeaways
- Experts who spoke to WIRED, however, are skeptical of the funding claims.
- Local opposition to data centers in the US has skyrocketed in recent months.
- The meme that Beijing is funding data center opposition has picked up steam in Washington, DC in recent weeks.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Right-wing officials and data center investors are increasingly claiming that data center protests are being funded and influenced by the Chinese government. Open AI added to the discourse on Wednesday when it released a report describing a cluster of accounts originating in China that, the company said, had been spreading anti-data center messages on social media.
Experts who spoke to WIRED, however, are skeptical of the funding claims. They also say that it’s likely that any foreign interference is simply adding on to existing tensions over data centers and AI in the US.
Local opposition to data centers in the US has skyrocketed in recent months. A poll released last week from climate outlet Heatmap shows that more than half of Americans support a moratorium on data center development. Separate polling released in early June from UK-based policy research agency Public First shows that support for data centers in the US was the lowest of 15 countries surveyed.