The artificial intelligence industry is blaming foreign adversaries for stoking public opposition to the massive data center buildouts required to power its growth, claiming China-linked actors are weaponizing social media to amplify legitimate concerns into a disinformation campaign.
As the U.S. and China compete for AI dominance, resistance to data centers threatens to slow American expansion plans. Tech trade groups say they've documented waves of social media posts originating overseas that amplify anti-data center messaging, portraying the infrastructure as environmentally destructive and economically harmful to local communities.
Steve DelBianco, president and CEO of NetChoice, a tech industry trade association, framed the challenge plainly: "Americans have AI anxiety for a variety of reasons, and that makes it particularly susceptible to disinformation about data centers."
The evidence presented by pro-AI groups includes posts from accounts based in South Asia, Africa, Poland, and Bangladesh. One May 22 post from a South Asia account questioned whether billionaires investing in AI were "insane" given layoffs and global consequences. Another from an Africa-based user claimed a Georgia data center built by Meta caused water pressure collapse and nonstop home vibrations. Facebook pages titled "Indiana Life" and "Kansas Life," both originating from Bangladesh, regularly post warnings about data center impacts on those states, commanding tens of thousands of followers.
Posts about the Stratos Project, a planned 40,000-acre data center campus in northwestern Utah, have similarly circulated from South Asian and North African accounts. Kevin O'Leary, the TV personality and investor backing the Utah project, has publicly accused China of spreading misinformation and fomenting opposition. NBC reported that O'Leary is now scaling back the project following public pressure.
The AI industry has not been able to quantify precisely how much of the anti-data center sentiment stems from foreign interference versus domestic organizers. Yet the pattern of posts tracked by industry groups does suggest coordinated messaging from overseas sources amplifying real local grievances into a broader anti-AI narrative.
The backlash is substantial. A May Gallup survey found 71 percent of Americans opposed data center construction in their communities. Residents cite electricity cost increases, heavy water consumption, cooling system noise, and environmental degradation as reasons for resistance.
Anti-data center activists reject the foreign interference narrative. Elena Schlossberg, a Northern Virginia-based activist fighting data center expansion, told Axios the opposition is authentically grassroots. "I know for a fact it is organic," she said. "How? Because I talk to people all over the country, searching for help to stop the industrialization of their communities."
Pro-AI groups are escalating their response by appealing to Congress. Chuck Flint, executive director of the Coalition for Affordability & Prosperity, asked congressional intelligence committee chairs to investigate foreign interference aimed at "decelerating the construction of" data centers. Taylor Budowich, a former Trump White House official now heading the Innovation Council Action Inc., called the anti-data center messaging "factually dubious" and said it deserves "immediate congressional attention."
House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith has gone further, accusing U.S.-based nonprofits of accepting Chinese money to fuel domestic opposition.
Environmental groups and activist organizations counter that the industry is using the China threat to deflect from legitimate criticism. Tim Donaghy, research director for Greenpeace USA, called the tactic a dodge. "When any corporation wants to dodge legitimate criticism they point to 'outside agitators,'" he told Axios. "It's lazy and insulting to the communities who are raising real concerns."
Author James Rodriguez: "The AI industry has a credible point about foreign interference, but it rings hollow when communities across America have genuine reasons to worry about water, power, and noise pollution in their backyards."
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