Pass the popcorn. The AI trains are about to collide

A rumor is circulating about a new AI data center planned for my county. I live near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the people around here are proud, independent, and love their land. The idea is not going over so well.

I’ve been deluged with messages from friends asking me to lend my voice to an anti-AI movement here. I’ve asked them, “Why?” And that’s when the conversation freezes up. We just know they are BAD. They take land that could be used for homes. They are water and energy hogs. They make noise. AI will take our jobs. We just do not want these things.

I’ve been immersed in this AI world long enough to know that this is a complicated issue.

• AI is propping up a good part of the U.S. economy right now. We don’t know exactly how much, but hitting the brakes would hurt in a significant way.
• Most Americans would agree that it might be dangerous for China or another country to have a superior AI platform.
• Millions of people use AI to do their homework, write their emails, and plan a family vacation. Even an “anti-AI” person still uses it every day, whether it’s Google maps, or searching for the right gift on Amazon. Despite the fear, most people would not want these things to disappear.
• And most people probably have some sense that AI holds the key to our national safety and security against cyberattacks and advanced weapon systems.

So in a sense, most people need AI and probably even like AI … and it seems like everybody I know wants to stop it.

The AI industry has lost the narrative.

Even when we see its value, even if we believe it can change the world, we hate it. And this is why we are about to see trains collide.

On one hand, we see a significant backlash against AI, on just about every front, every demographic, and every political party.

On the other hand, AI is funding the American political machine as record amounts of lobbyist money and political donations pour into Washington. One estimate puts it at nearly $250,000 per day.

Let’s think this through.

1. The AI titans own Washington and its politicians.
2. The general U.S. population hates the AI titans.

How exactly is THAT going to work out? This is a civil war over AI construction and regulation, but the sides are U.S. citizens versus their own politicians.

And so my friends, this is the inevitable train wreck we are about to witness as the U.S. mid-term elections gear up.

Like my neighbors here in East Tennessee, most people fear AI. They want data center investments to stop and AI research curtailed. I doubt any amount of PR spin will fix that after AI companies have predicted massive job loss for the last three years.

But our political representatives are in the AI industry’s pocket. They are beholden to unhindered data center growth and regulation-free acceleration.

It seems political survival means telling voters what they want to hear — no new data centers. They won’t be able to explain their way out of this.

So what happened in my county? Turns out they don’t need my voice at all. Last week, both county and municipal governments passed laws to heavily regulate or restrict potential data centers and crypto-mining facilities in our area.

Our area might be data center-free for now, but eventually, the data centers will be built somewhere. The AI industry lost its narrative but has enough money to buy a new one. The next six months will be fascinating.

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Illustration courtesy Mid Journey