#airesistance — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #airesistance, aggregated by home.social.
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#Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams
One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”
by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026
"The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.
"The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”
Read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/anthropic-pre-crime-surveillance#PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism
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#Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams
One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”
by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026
"The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.
"The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”
Read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/anthropic-pre-crime-surveillance#PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism
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#Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams
One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”
by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026
"The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.
"The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”
Read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/anthropic-pre-crime-surveillance#PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism
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#Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams
One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”
by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026
"The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.
"The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”
Read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/anthropic-pre-crime-surveillance#PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism
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#Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams
One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”
by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026
"The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.
"The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”
Read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/anthropic-pre-crime-surveillance#PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism
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#Texas Gov. #GregAbbott on #AIDataCenter Backlash: 'They Dug Their Own Grave'
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, August 23, 2026
"#NewYork Gov. #KathyHochul (D) and #Kentucky Gov. #AndyBeshear (D) have pushed back against the expansion of #AIDataCenters in their respective states. But with the increasing backlash from communities and individuals toward new #datacenter construction and expansion, even governors that have embraced the #AIRevolution, like #Pennsylvania's #JoshShapiro (D), are now moderating and talking about scaling back.
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is one governor whose state has embraced the data center expansion. In November 2025, Abbott declared that Texas is the 'epicenter of AI development' in his announcement of #Google building three data center campuses to the tune of $40 million dollars.
"Fast forward to August of 2026, and Abbott acknowledges that much of the community resistance to the construction of new and existing data centers is the fault of the AI companies."
[...]
"Abbott is not wrong. According to a report from #DataCenterWatch, 64 billion in data center projects have been blocked or delayed in #Arizona, #Utah, #Missouri, #Oregon, and #California, to name a few. Even formerly friendly #Virginia is pushing back. #CommunityOpposition surrounds the lack of information provided and the lack of accountability taken towards the citizens who will be most affected.
"Water and power concerns loom large. Many of the newer development concepts, like entrepreneur #KevinOLeary 's 9 megawatt #StratosProject in #Utah, will have their own self-sustaining water and power systems. However, this did not prevent the backlash by #environmentalists and local activists to shut the Stratos Project down, and Utah state lawmakers ultimately backpedaled from their original approval and requested O'Leary cut the project's 400,000-acre footprint down to 10,000, about 75 percent. "
#AISucks #AIDataCenters #AIResistance #USPol #WorldPol #Datacenters #Datacentres #AIDatacentres #WaterIsLife #NoisePollution #LandIsLife #EnergyConsumption
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#Texas Gov. #GregAbbott on #AIDataCenter Backlash: 'They Dug Their Own Grave'
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, August 23, 2026
"#NewYork Gov. #KathyHochul (D) and #Kentucky Gov. #AndyBeshear (D) have pushed back against the expansion of #AIDataCenters in their respective states. But with the increasing backlash from communities and individuals toward new #datacenter construction and expansion, even governors that have embraced the #AIRevolution, like #Pennsylvania's #JoshShapiro (D), are now moderating and talking about scaling back.
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is one governor whose state has embraced the data center expansion. In November 2025, Abbott declared that Texas is the 'epicenter of AI development' in his announcement of #Google building three data center campuses to the tune of $40 million dollars.
"Fast forward to August of 2026, and Abbott acknowledges that much of the community resistance to the construction of new and existing data centers is the fault of the AI companies."
[...]
"Abbott is not wrong. According to a report from #DataCenterWatch, 64 billion in data center projects have been blocked or delayed in #Arizona, #Utah, #Missouri, #Oregon, and #California, to name a few. Even formerly friendly #Virginia is pushing back. #CommunityOpposition surrounds the lack of information provided and the lack of accountability taken towards the citizens who will be most affected.
"Water and power concerns loom large. Many of the newer development concepts, like entrepreneur #KevinOLeary 's 9 megawatt #StratosProject in #Utah, will have their own self-sustaining water and power systems. However, this did not prevent the backlash by #environmentalists and local activists to shut the Stratos Project down, and Utah state lawmakers ultimately backpedaled from their original approval and requested O'Leary cut the project's 400,000-acre footprint down to 10,000, about 75 percent. "
#AISucks #AIDataCenters #AIResistance #USPol #WorldPol #Datacenters #Datacentres #AIDatacentres #WaterIsLife #NoisePollution #LandIsLife #EnergyConsumption
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#Texas Gov. #GregAbbott on #AIDataCenter Backlash: 'They Dug Their Own Grave'
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, August 23, 2026
"#NewYork Gov. #KathyHochul (D) and #Kentucky Gov. #AndyBeshear (D) have pushed back against the expansion of #AIDataCenters in their respective states. But with the increasing backlash from communities and individuals toward new #datacenter construction and expansion, even governors that have embraced the #AIRevolution, like #Pennsylvania's #JoshShapiro (D), are now moderating and talking about scaling back.
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is one governor whose state has embraced the data center expansion. In November 2025, Abbott declared that Texas is the 'epicenter of AI development' in his announcement of #Google building three data center campuses to the tune of $40 million dollars.
"Fast forward to August of 2026, and Abbott acknowledges that much of the community resistance to the construction of new and existing data centers is the fault of the AI companies."
[...]
"Abbott is not wrong. According to a report from #DataCenterWatch, 64 billion in data center projects have been blocked or delayed in #Arizona, #Utah, #Missouri, #Oregon, and #California, to name a few. Even formerly friendly #Virginia is pushing back. #CommunityOpposition surrounds the lack of information provided and the lack of accountability taken towards the citizens who will be most affected.
"Water and power concerns loom large. Many of the newer development concepts, like entrepreneur #KevinOLeary 's 9 megawatt #StratosProject in #Utah, will have their own self-sustaining water and power systems. However, this did not prevent the backlash by #environmentalists and local activists to shut the Stratos Project down, and Utah state lawmakers ultimately backpedaled from their original approval and requested O'Leary cut the project's 400,000-acre footprint down to 10,000, about 75 percent. "
#AISucks #AIDataCenters #AIResistance #USPol #WorldPol #Datacenters #Datacentres #AIDatacentres #WaterIsLife #NoisePollution #LandIsLife #EnergyConsumption
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#Texas Gov. #GregAbbott on #AIDataCenter Backlash: 'They Dug Their Own Grave'
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, August 23, 2026
"#NewYork Gov. #KathyHochul (D) and #Kentucky Gov. #AndyBeshear (D) have pushed back against the expansion of #AIDataCenters in their respective states. But with the increasing backlash from communities and individuals toward new #datacenter construction and expansion, even governors that have embraced the #AIRevolution, like #Pennsylvania's #JoshShapiro (D), are now moderating and talking about scaling back.
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is one governor whose state has embraced the data center expansion. In November 2025, Abbott declared that Texas is the 'epicenter of AI development' in his announcement of #Google building three data center campuses to the tune of $40 million dollars.
"Fast forward to August of 2026, and Abbott acknowledges that much of the community resistance to the construction of new and existing data centers is the fault of the AI companies."
[...]
"Abbott is not wrong. According to a report from #DataCenterWatch, 64 billion in data center projects have been blocked or delayed in #Arizona, #Utah, #Missouri, #Oregon, and #California, to name a few. Even formerly friendly #Virginia is pushing back. #CommunityOpposition surrounds the lack of information provided and the lack of accountability taken towards the citizens who will be most affected.
"Water and power concerns loom large. Many of the newer development concepts, like entrepreneur #KevinOLeary 's 9 megawatt #StratosProject in #Utah, will have their own self-sustaining water and power systems. However, this did not prevent the backlash by #environmentalists and local activists to shut the Stratos Project down, and Utah state lawmakers ultimately backpedaled from their original approval and requested O'Leary cut the project's 400,000-acre footprint down to 10,000, about 75 percent. "
#AISucks #AIDataCenters #AIResistance #USPol #WorldPol #Datacenters #Datacentres #AIDatacentres #WaterIsLife #NoisePollution #LandIsLife #EnergyConsumption
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#Texas Gov. #GregAbbott on #AIDataCenter Backlash: 'They Dug Their Own Grave'
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, August 23, 2026
"#NewYork Gov. #KathyHochul (D) and #Kentucky Gov. #AndyBeshear (D) have pushed back against the expansion of #AIDataCenters in their respective states. But with the increasing backlash from communities and individuals toward new #datacenter construction and expansion, even governors that have embraced the #AIRevolution, like #Pennsylvania's #JoshShapiro (D), are now moderating and talking about scaling back.
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is one governor whose state has embraced the data center expansion. In November 2025, Abbott declared that Texas is the 'epicenter of AI development' in his announcement of #Google building three data center campuses to the tune of $40 million dollars.
"Fast forward to August of 2026, and Abbott acknowledges that much of the community resistance to the construction of new and existing data centers is the fault of the AI companies."
[...]
"Abbott is not wrong. According to a report from #DataCenterWatch, 64 billion in data center projects have been blocked or delayed in #Arizona, #Utah, #Missouri, #Oregon, and #California, to name a few. Even formerly friendly #Virginia is pushing back. #CommunityOpposition surrounds the lack of information provided and the lack of accountability taken towards the citizens who will be most affected.
"Water and power concerns loom large. Many of the newer development concepts, like entrepreneur #KevinOLeary 's 9 megawatt #StratosProject in #Utah, will have their own self-sustaining water and power systems. However, this did not prevent the backlash by #environmentalists and local activists to shut the Stratos Project down, and Utah state lawmakers ultimately backpedaled from their original approval and requested O'Leary cut the project's 400,000-acre footprint down to 10,000, about 75 percent. "
#AISucks #AIDataCenters #AIResistance #USPol #WorldPol #Datacenters #Datacentres #AIDatacentres #WaterIsLife #NoisePollution #LandIsLife #EnergyConsumption
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These #Maine #librarians are helping patrons resist #AI and #BigTech
by Bridget Huber, July 2, 2026
"In recent months, the #SearsmontME Town Library has added a new service for patrons: Help in removing AI from their phones and other devices.
" 'A lot of times, it’s just telling people that they have choices,' Library Director #StevenBrown said. 'Their phone came a certain way, but they don’t have to use it the way that it came.'
"Brown helps patrons disable AI-powered assistants like Siri or so-called smart features in email and switch from using Google, which doesn’t offer an option to search without AI overviews, to a browser that does.
"A big part of his job as a librarian has been helping people with information technology, he said. He sees helping people think critically about technology and AI as a natural extension of this work.
"While Brown’s long been skeptical of the purported benefits of technology for society, he didn’t start offering the #AIRemoval services until this spring, when he attended a webinar presented by #HannahCyrus, a #BangorME librarian who has become a leading voice in a nationwide movement of librarians who are working to help patrons understand the risks of AI and other technologies.
" 'I seem to have become the face of #AIHaters — which I’m fine with — in the library world,' Cyrus said.
"Cyrus, a reference librarian at the Bangor Public Library, teaches classes on how to use technology. But that doesn’t mean uncritically embracing and promoting it, she said.
" 'I really try to make sure people not only know where to tap or click to get done what they want to do, but to understand the values and issues at play as they’re using different pieces of technology,' she said.
"Commonly used tools like Gmail and Chat GPT are not neutral, she said. 'These are products created by giant #corporations who want your information and want your attention,' she said. “And that has real impacts on our lives.”
"The most popular class Cyrus has taught is called #AvoidingAI, which explains what #GenerativeAI is, some of the concerns around it, and how to disable it and find alternatives. The first time she taught the class in fall of 2025 more than 70 people enrolled. She taught it again this spring, and Brown was one of 20 Maine librarians to enroll. "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/HRBPH#AIResistance #BigData #AISucks #MaineLibraries #LibrariesRule! #MaineResists #ResistAI
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These #Maine #librarians are helping patrons resist #AI and #BigTech
by Bridget Huber, July 2, 2026
"In recent months, the #SearsmontME Town Library has added a new service for patrons: Help in removing AI from their phones and other devices.
" 'A lot of times, it’s just telling people that they have choices,' Library Director #StevenBrown said. 'Their phone came a certain way, but they don’t have to use it the way that it came.'
"Brown helps patrons disable AI-powered assistants like Siri or so-called smart features in email and switch from using Google, which doesn’t offer an option to search without AI overviews, to a browser that does.
"A big part of his job as a librarian has been helping people with information technology, he said. He sees helping people think critically about technology and AI as a natural extension of this work.
"While Brown’s long been skeptical of the purported benefits of technology for society, he didn’t start offering the #AIRemoval services until this spring, when he attended a webinar presented by #HannahCyrus, a #BangorME librarian who has become a leading voice in a nationwide movement of librarians who are working to help patrons understand the risks of AI and other technologies.
" 'I seem to have become the face of #AIHaters — which I’m fine with — in the library world,' Cyrus said.
"Cyrus, a reference librarian at the Bangor Public Library, teaches classes on how to use technology. But that doesn’t mean uncritically embracing and promoting it, she said.
" 'I really try to make sure people not only know where to tap or click to get done what they want to do, but to understand the values and issues at play as they’re using different pieces of technology,' she said.
"Commonly used tools like Gmail and Chat GPT are not neutral, she said. 'These are products created by giant #corporations who want your information and want your attention,' she said. “And that has real impacts on our lives.”
"The most popular class Cyrus has taught is called #AvoidingAI, which explains what #GenerativeAI is, some of the concerns around it, and how to disable it and find alternatives. The first time she taught the class in fall of 2025 more than 70 people enrolled. She taught it again this spring, and Brown was one of 20 Maine librarians to enroll. "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/HRBPH#AIResistance #BigData #AISucks #MaineLibraries #LibrariesRule! #MaineResists #ResistAI
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These #Maine #librarians are helping patrons resist #AI and #BigTech
by Bridget Huber, July 2, 2026
"In recent months, the #SearsmontME Town Library has added a new service for patrons: Help in removing AI from their phones and other devices.
" 'A lot of times, it’s just telling people that they have choices,' Library Director #StevenBrown said. 'Their phone came a certain way, but they don’t have to use it the way that it came.'
"Brown helps patrons disable AI-powered assistants like Siri or so-called smart features in email and switch from using Google, which doesn’t offer an option to search without AI overviews, to a browser that does.
"A big part of his job as a librarian has been helping people with information technology, he said. He sees helping people think critically about technology and AI as a natural extension of this work.
"While Brown’s long been skeptical of the purported benefits of technology for society, he didn’t start offering the #AIRemoval services until this spring, when he attended a webinar presented by #HannahCyrus, a #BangorME librarian who has become a leading voice in a nationwide movement of librarians who are working to help patrons understand the risks of AI and other technologies.
" 'I seem to have become the face of #AIHaters — which I’m fine with — in the library world,' Cyrus said.
"Cyrus, a reference librarian at the Bangor Public Library, teaches classes on how to use technology. But that doesn’t mean uncritically embracing and promoting it, she said.
" 'I really try to make sure people not only know where to tap or click to get done what they want to do, but to understand the values and issues at play as they’re using different pieces of technology,' she said.
"Commonly used tools like Gmail and Chat GPT are not neutral, she said. 'These are products created by giant #corporations who want your information and want your attention,' she said. “And that has real impacts on our lives.”
"The most popular class Cyrus has taught is called #AvoidingAI, which explains what #GenerativeAI is, some of the concerns around it, and how to disable it and find alternatives. The first time she taught the class in fall of 2025 more than 70 people enrolled. She taught it again this spring, and Brown was one of 20 Maine librarians to enroll. "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/HRBPH#AIResistance #BigData #AISucks #MaineLibraries #LibrariesRule! #MaineResists #ResistAI
-
These #Maine #librarians are helping patrons resist #AI and #BigTech
by Bridget Huber, July 2, 2026
"In recent months, the #SearsmontME Town Library has added a new service for patrons: Help in removing AI from their phones and other devices.
" 'A lot of times, it’s just telling people that they have choices,' Library Director #StevenBrown said. 'Their phone came a certain way, but they don’t have to use it the way that it came.'
"Brown helps patrons disable AI-powered assistants like Siri or so-called smart features in email and switch from using Google, which doesn’t offer an option to search without AI overviews, to a browser that does.
"A big part of his job as a librarian has been helping people with information technology, he said. He sees helping people think critically about technology and AI as a natural extension of this work.
"While Brown’s long been skeptical of the purported benefits of technology for society, he didn’t start offering the #AIRemoval services until this spring, when he attended a webinar presented by #HannahCyrus, a #BangorME librarian who has become a leading voice in a nationwide movement of librarians who are working to help patrons understand the risks of AI and other technologies.
" 'I seem to have become the face of #AIHaters — which I’m fine with — in the library world,' Cyrus said.
"Cyrus, a reference librarian at the Bangor Public Library, teaches classes on how to use technology. But that doesn’t mean uncritically embracing and promoting it, she said.
" 'I really try to make sure people not only know where to tap or click to get done what they want to do, but to understand the values and issues at play as they’re using different pieces of technology,' she said.
"Commonly used tools like Gmail and Chat GPT are not neutral, she said. 'These are products created by giant #corporations who want your information and want your attention,' she said. “And that has real impacts on our lives.”
"The most popular class Cyrus has taught is called #AvoidingAI, which explains what #GenerativeAI is, some of the concerns around it, and how to disable it and find alternatives. The first time she taught the class in fall of 2025 more than 70 people enrolled. She taught it again this spring, and Brown was one of 20 Maine librarians to enroll. "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/HRBPH#AIResistance #BigData #AISucks #MaineLibraries #LibrariesRule! #MaineResists #ResistAI
-
These #Maine #librarians are helping patrons resist #AI and #BigTech
by Bridget Huber, July 2, 2026
"In recent months, the #SearsmontME Town Library has added a new service for patrons: Help in removing AI from their phones and other devices.
" 'A lot of times, it’s just telling people that they have choices,' Library Director #StevenBrown said. 'Their phone came a certain way, but they don’t have to use it the way that it came.'
"Brown helps patrons disable AI-powered assistants like Siri or so-called smart features in email and switch from using Google, which doesn’t offer an option to search without AI overviews, to a browser that does.
"A big part of his job as a librarian has been helping people with information technology, he said. He sees helping people think critically about technology and AI as a natural extension of this work.
"While Brown’s long been skeptical of the purported benefits of technology for society, he didn’t start offering the #AIRemoval services until this spring, when he attended a webinar presented by #HannahCyrus, a #BangorME librarian who has become a leading voice in a nationwide movement of librarians who are working to help patrons understand the risks of AI and other technologies.
" 'I seem to have become the face of #AIHaters — which I’m fine with — in the library world,' Cyrus said.
"Cyrus, a reference librarian at the Bangor Public Library, teaches classes on how to use technology. But that doesn’t mean uncritically embracing and promoting it, she said.
" 'I really try to make sure people not only know where to tap or click to get done what they want to do, but to understand the values and issues at play as they’re using different pieces of technology,' she said.
"Commonly used tools like Gmail and Chat GPT are not neutral, she said. 'These are products created by giant #corporations who want your information and want your attention,' she said. “And that has real impacts on our lives.”
"The most popular class Cyrus has taught is called #AvoidingAI, which explains what #GenerativeAI is, some of the concerns around it, and how to disable it and find alternatives. The first time she taught the class in fall of 2025 more than 70 people enrolled. She taught it again this spring, and Brown was one of 20 Maine librarians to enroll. "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/HRBPH#AIResistance #BigData #AISucks #MaineLibraries #LibrariesRule! #MaineResists #ResistAI
-
Excerpt from #ChronicleOfHigherEd
Here Come the Student #AIResisters
By Len Gutkin
" 'The use of #AI,' #PopeLeoXIV writes in an encyclical 'on safeguarding the human person in the time of #ArtificialIntelligence,' issued earlier this month, 'is never a purely technical matter: When it enters processes that affect people’s lives, it touches on rights, opportunities, status, and freedom.' The pope wants to 'disarm' the new technology — which, for him, means 'preventing it from dominating humanity.'
"One portion of humanity assaulted by AI is #undergraduates, some of whom have accordingly formed the vanguard of the pope’s call for disarmament. A recent essay in The New Critic, '#TheGreatZombification,' is an articulate cry of resistance. Written by Owen Yingling, a rising senior at the University of Chicago majoring in philosophy and business economics, the essay offers a student’s-eye view of the cognitive degradation wrought by rampant AI use. Yingling sees this as a catastrophe triggered in part by a kind of generational betrayal, as 'the old ... do not demand enough from us.' Last year, the Yale English professor Jonathan Kramnick predicted in our pages that 'as institutional leadership drifts toward anticipatory obedience, students will begin to reconstruct education around the living, embodied world of meaning and experience they feel has been stolen from them.' Yingling’s essay is a manifesto for that cause."
Full article [behind paywall, unfortunately]:
https://www.chronicle.com/article/here-come-the-student-ai-resisters?utm_campaign=che-eng-rg-twihe&utm_medium=em&utm_source=mkto&utm_content=26-05-30&mkt_tok=OTMxLUVLQS0yMTgAAAGiF8A1GmhjZDt1f4TQQA-i2cQGg9CtF0-W8ODvQjGNPQ-5n2OxxZMyJlsF2k1uWKQWvIvGednroINV6Bb71R7vgRkDmGumhbDRCT794fhwur5exC8 -
Excerpt from #ChronicleOfHigherEd
Here Come the Student #AIResisters
By Len Gutkin
" 'The use of #AI,' #PopeLeoXIV writes in an encyclical 'on safeguarding the human person in the time of #ArtificialIntelligence,' issued earlier this month, 'is never a purely technical matter: When it enters processes that affect people’s lives, it touches on rights, opportunities, status, and freedom.' The pope wants to 'disarm' the new technology — which, for him, means 'preventing it from dominating humanity.'
"One portion of humanity assaulted by AI is #undergraduates, some of whom have accordingly formed the vanguard of the pope’s call for disarmament. A recent essay in The New Critic, '#TheGreatZombification,' is an articulate cry of resistance. Written by Owen Yingling, a rising senior at the University of Chicago majoring in philosophy and business economics, the essay offers a student’s-eye view of the cognitive degradation wrought by rampant AI use. Yingling sees this as a catastrophe triggered in part by a kind of generational betrayal, as 'the old ... do not demand enough from us.' Last year, the Yale English professor Jonathan Kramnick predicted in our pages that 'as institutional leadership drifts toward anticipatory obedience, students will begin to reconstruct education around the living, embodied world of meaning and experience they feel has been stolen from them.' Yingling’s essay is a manifesto for that cause."
Full article [behind paywall, unfortunately]:
https://www.chronicle.com/article/here-come-the-student-ai-resisters?utm_campaign=che-eng-rg-twihe&utm_medium=em&utm_source=mkto&utm_content=26-05-30&mkt_tok=OTMxLUVLQS0yMTgAAAGiF8A1GmhjZDt1f4TQQA-i2cQGg9CtF0-W8ODvQjGNPQ-5n2OxxZMyJlsF2k1uWKQWvIvGednroINV6Bb71R7vgRkDmGumhbDRCT794fhwur5exC8 -
Excerpt from #ChronicleOfHigherEd
Here Come the Student #AIResisters
By Len Gutkin
" 'The use of #AI,' #PopeLeoXIV writes in an encyclical 'on safeguarding the human person in the time of #ArtificialIntelligence,' issued earlier this month, 'is never a purely technical matter: When it enters processes that affect people’s lives, it touches on rights, opportunities, status, and freedom.' The pope wants to 'disarm' the new technology — which, for him, means 'preventing it from dominating humanity.'
"One portion of humanity assaulted by AI is #undergraduates, some of whom have accordingly formed the vanguard of the pope’s call for disarmament. A recent essay in The New Critic, '#TheGreatZombification,' is an articulate cry of resistance. Written by Owen Yingling, a rising senior at the University of Chicago majoring in philosophy and business economics, the essay offers a student’s-eye view of the cognitive degradation wrought by rampant AI use. Yingling sees this as a catastrophe triggered in part by a kind of generational betrayal, as 'the old ... do not demand enough from us.' Last year, the Yale English professor Jonathan Kramnick predicted in our pages that 'as institutional leadership drifts toward anticipatory obedience, students will begin to reconstruct education around the living, embodied world of meaning and experience they feel has been stolen from them.' Yingling’s essay is a manifesto for that cause."
Full article [behind paywall, unfortunately]:
https://www.chronicle.com/article/here-come-the-student-ai-resisters?utm_campaign=che-eng-rg-twihe&utm_medium=em&utm_source=mkto&utm_content=26-05-30&mkt_tok=OTMxLUVLQS0yMTgAAAGiF8A1GmhjZDt1f4TQQA-i2cQGg9CtF0-W8ODvQjGNPQ-5n2OxxZMyJlsF2k1uWKQWvIvGednroINV6Bb71R7vgRkDmGumhbDRCT794fhwur5exC8 -
Excerpt from #ChronicleOfHigherEd
Here Come the Student #AIResisters
By Len Gutkin
" 'The use of #AI,' #PopeLeoXIV writes in an encyclical 'on safeguarding the human person in the time of #ArtificialIntelligence,' issued earlier this month, 'is never a purely technical matter: When it enters processes that affect people’s lives, it touches on rights, opportunities, status, and freedom.' The pope wants to 'disarm' the new technology — which, for him, means 'preventing it from dominating humanity.'
"One portion of humanity assaulted by AI is #undergraduates, some of whom have accordingly formed the vanguard of the pope’s call for disarmament. A recent essay in The New Critic, '#TheGreatZombification,' is an articulate cry of resistance. Written by Owen Yingling, a rising senior at the University of Chicago majoring in philosophy and business economics, the essay offers a student’s-eye view of the cognitive degradation wrought by rampant AI use. Yingling sees this as a catastrophe triggered in part by a kind of generational betrayal, as 'the old ... do not demand enough from us.' Last year, the Yale English professor Jonathan Kramnick predicted in our pages that 'as institutional leadership drifts toward anticipatory obedience, students will begin to reconstruct education around the living, embodied world of meaning and experience they feel has been stolen from them.' Yingling’s essay is a manifesto for that cause."
Full article [behind paywall, unfortunately]:
https://www.chronicle.com/article/here-come-the-student-ai-resisters?utm_campaign=che-eng-rg-twihe&utm_medium=em&utm_source=mkto&utm_content=26-05-30&mkt_tok=OTMxLUVLQS0yMTgAAAGiF8A1GmhjZDt1f4TQQA-i2cQGg9CtF0-W8ODvQjGNPQ-5n2OxxZMyJlsF2k1uWKQWvIvGednroINV6Bb71R7vgRkDmGumhbDRCT794fhwur5exC8 -
Excerpt from #ChronicleOfHigherEd
Here Come the Student #AIResisters
By Len Gutkin
" 'The use of #AI,' #PopeLeoXIV writes in an encyclical 'on safeguarding the human person in the time of #ArtificialIntelligence,' issued earlier this month, 'is never a purely technical matter: When it enters processes that affect people’s lives, it touches on rights, opportunities, status, and freedom.' The pope wants to 'disarm' the new technology — which, for him, means 'preventing it from dominating humanity.'
"One portion of humanity assaulted by AI is #undergraduates, some of whom have accordingly formed the vanguard of the pope’s call for disarmament. A recent essay in The New Critic, '#TheGreatZombification,' is an articulate cry of resistance. Written by Owen Yingling, a rising senior at the University of Chicago majoring in philosophy and business economics, the essay offers a student’s-eye view of the cognitive degradation wrought by rampant AI use. Yingling sees this as a catastrophe triggered in part by a kind of generational betrayal, as 'the old ... do not demand enough from us.' Last year, the Yale English professor Jonathan Kramnick predicted in our pages that 'as institutional leadership drifts toward anticipatory obedience, students will begin to reconstruct education around the living, embodied world of meaning and experience they feel has been stolen from them.' Yingling’s essay is a manifesto for that cause."
Full article [behind paywall, unfortunately]:
https://www.chronicle.com/article/here-come-the-student-ai-resisters?utm_campaign=che-eng-rg-twihe&utm_medium=em&utm_source=mkto&utm_content=26-05-30&mkt_tok=OTMxLUVLQS0yMTgAAAGiF8A1GmhjZDt1f4TQQA-i2cQGg9CtF0-W8ODvQjGNPQ-5n2OxxZMyJlsF2k1uWKQWvIvGednroINV6Bb71R7vgRkDmGumhbDRCT794fhwur5exC8 -
Oh look. Our #BigTechOverlords don't want us to diss their #AISucks technology!
US law enforcement warns of “#AntiTech extremism” as #AIHatred grows
The feds are raising the alarm about a new category of threat.
Daniel Boguslaw, WIRED.com – May 27, 2026
Excerpt: "In the wake of attacks on CEOs, a nationwide protest movement targeting data centers, and increasing concerns about AI job replacement, federal intelligence agencies and domestic law enforcement are circulating reports with a new domestic target in mind: #AntiTechnologyExtremists.
"More than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers obtained by WIRED show a national shift taking place to surveil this new and worryingly broad category of people and activities deemed an emerging threat.
"This new effort follows President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memo 7, which instructs the Department of Justice to target anyone holding '#AntiAmerican,' '#AntiChristian,' and '#AntiCapitalism' beliefs. Earlier this month, #Trump’s counterterrorism czar, #SebastianGorka, released a public counterterrorism strategy claiming that left-wing extremists are one of the three top counterterrorism priorities facing the United States.
"Taken together, these Trump administration directives have commandeered the domestic surveillance apparatus to surveil and criminalize speech and assembly that challenges the ideology of the White House. A new focus on anti-technology extremism adds an unreported category to already public designations under a presidency that has heavily invested political and material capital in #AI and #datacenter proliferation.
"Among the documents in the tranche obtained by WIRED is a New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau report that warns of widespread upheaval in response to AI adoption. Of particular note is a novel term for what the bureau purports to be an emerging extremism threat."
#ResistAI #DatacenterMortoriums #SurveillanceState #BigTechBrother #TechnoFascism #PoliceState #USPol #LowTech #NoTech #TrebuchetTime #TechOverlords #AIResistance #ExhumingMcCarthy #SilencingDissent
-
Oh look. Our #BigTechOverlords don't want us to diss their #AISucks technology!
US law enforcement warns of “#AntiTech extremism” as #AIHatred grows
The feds are raising the alarm about a new category of threat.
Daniel Boguslaw, WIRED.com – May 27, 2026
Excerpt: "In the wake of attacks on CEOs, a nationwide protest movement targeting data centers, and increasing concerns about AI job replacement, federal intelligence agencies and domestic law enforcement are circulating reports with a new domestic target in mind: #AntiTechnologyExtremists.
"More than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers obtained by WIRED show a national shift taking place to surveil this new and worryingly broad category of people and activities deemed an emerging threat.
"This new effort follows President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memo 7, which instructs the Department of Justice to target anyone holding '#AntiAmerican,' '#AntiChristian,' and '#AntiCapitalism' beliefs. Earlier this month, #Trump’s counterterrorism czar, #SebastianGorka, released a public counterterrorism strategy claiming that left-wing extremists are one of the three top counterterrorism priorities facing the United States.
"Taken together, these Trump administration directives have commandeered the domestic surveillance apparatus to surveil and criminalize speech and assembly that challenges the ideology of the White House. A new focus on anti-technology extremism adds an unreported category to already public designations under a presidency that has heavily invested political and material capital in #AI and #datacenter proliferation.
"Among the documents in the tranche obtained by WIRED is a New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau report that warns of widespread upheaval in response to AI adoption. Of particular note is a novel term for what the bureau purports to be an emerging extremism threat."
#ResistAI #DatacenterMortoriums #SurveillanceState #BigTechBrother #TechnoFascism #PoliceState #USPol #LowTech #NoTech #TrebuchetTime #TechOverlords #AIResistance #ExhumingMcCarthy #SilencingDissent
-
Oh look. Our #BigTechOverlords don't want us to diss their #AISucks technology!
US law enforcement warns of “#AntiTech extremism” as #AIHatred grows
The feds are raising the alarm about a new category of threat.
Daniel Boguslaw, WIRED.com – May 27, 2026
Excerpt: "In the wake of attacks on CEOs, a nationwide protest movement targeting data centers, and increasing concerns about AI job replacement, federal intelligence agencies and domestic law enforcement are circulating reports with a new domestic target in mind: #AntiTechnologyExtremists.
"More than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers obtained by WIRED show a national shift taking place to surveil this new and worryingly broad category of people and activities deemed an emerging threat.
"This new effort follows President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memo 7, which instructs the Department of Justice to target anyone holding '#AntiAmerican,' '#AntiChristian,' and '#AntiCapitalism' beliefs. Earlier this month, #Trump’s counterterrorism czar, #SebastianGorka, released a public counterterrorism strategy claiming that left-wing extremists are one of the three top counterterrorism priorities facing the United States.
"Taken together, these Trump administration directives have commandeered the domestic surveillance apparatus to surveil and criminalize speech and assembly that challenges the ideology of the White House. A new focus on anti-technology extremism adds an unreported category to already public designations under a presidency that has heavily invested political and material capital in #AI and #datacenter proliferation.
"Among the documents in the tranche obtained by WIRED is a New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau report that warns of widespread upheaval in response to AI adoption. Of particular note is a novel term for what the bureau purports to be an emerging extremism threat."
#ResistAI #DatacenterMortoriums #SurveillanceState #BigTechBrother #TechnoFascism #PoliceState #USPol #LowTech #NoTech #TrebuchetTime #TechOverlords #AIResistance #ExhumingMcCarthy #SilencingDissent
-
Oh look. Our #BigTechOverlords don't want us to diss their #AISucks technology!
US law enforcement warns of “#AntiTech extremism” as #AIHatred grows
The feds are raising the alarm about a new category of threat.
Daniel Boguslaw, WIRED.com – May 27, 2026
Excerpt: "In the wake of attacks on CEOs, a nationwide protest movement targeting data centers, and increasing concerns about AI job replacement, federal intelligence agencies and domestic law enforcement are circulating reports with a new domestic target in mind: #AntiTechnologyExtremists.
"More than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers obtained by WIRED show a national shift taking place to surveil this new and worryingly broad category of people and activities deemed an emerging threat.
"This new effort follows President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memo 7, which instructs the Department of Justice to target anyone holding '#AntiAmerican,' '#AntiChristian,' and '#AntiCapitalism' beliefs. Earlier this month, #Trump’s counterterrorism czar, #SebastianGorka, released a public counterterrorism strategy claiming that left-wing extremists are one of the three top counterterrorism priorities facing the United States.
"Taken together, these Trump administration directives have commandeered the domestic surveillance apparatus to surveil and criminalize speech and assembly that challenges the ideology of the White House. A new focus on anti-technology extremism adds an unreported category to already public designations under a presidency that has heavily invested political and material capital in #AI and #datacenter proliferation.
"Among the documents in the tranche obtained by WIRED is a New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau report that warns of widespread upheaval in response to AI adoption. Of particular note is a novel term for what the bureau purports to be an emerging extremism threat."
#ResistAI #DatacenterMortoriums #SurveillanceState #BigTechBrother #TechnoFascism #PoliceState #USPol #LowTech #NoTech #TrebuchetTime #TechOverlords #AIResistance #ExhumingMcCarthy #SilencingDissent
-
Oh look. Our #BigTechOverlords don't want us to diss their #AISucks technology!
US law enforcement warns of “#AntiTech extremism” as #AIHatred grows
The feds are raising the alarm about a new category of threat.
Daniel Boguslaw, WIRED.com – May 27, 2026
Excerpt: "In the wake of attacks on CEOs, a nationwide protest movement targeting data centers, and increasing concerns about AI job replacement, federal intelligence agencies and domestic law enforcement are circulating reports with a new domestic target in mind: #AntiTechnologyExtremists.
"More than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers obtained by WIRED show a national shift taking place to surveil this new and worryingly broad category of people and activities deemed an emerging threat.
"This new effort follows President Donald Trump’s National Security Presidential Memo 7, which instructs the Department of Justice to target anyone holding '#AntiAmerican,' '#AntiChristian,' and '#AntiCapitalism' beliefs. Earlier this month, #Trump’s counterterrorism czar, #SebastianGorka, released a public counterterrorism strategy claiming that left-wing extremists are one of the three top counterterrorism priorities facing the United States.
"Taken together, these Trump administration directives have commandeered the domestic surveillance apparatus to surveil and criminalize speech and assembly that challenges the ideology of the White House. A new focus on anti-technology extremism adds an unreported category to already public designations under a presidency that has heavily invested political and material capital in #AI and #datacenter proliferation.
"Among the documents in the tranche obtained by WIRED is a New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau report that warns of widespread upheaval in response to AI adoption. Of particular note is a novel term for what the bureau purports to be an emerging extremism threat."
#ResistAI #DatacenterMortoriums #SurveillanceState #BigTechBrother #TechnoFascism #PoliceState #USPol #LowTech #NoTech #TrebuchetTime #TechOverlords #AIResistance #ExhumingMcCarthy #SilencingDissent
-
I asked someone in my industry yesterday why anyone in it would take on the risks of AI hallucinations and omissions, when there is a strict licensing, continuing professional development, regulatory, oversight, and Court/Tribunal environment we work in (in fact we were in 4 hour government-mandated CPD training at the time), pointed out AI companies weren’t wearing that risk, and said I couldn’t imagine insurance companies covering that risk.
“Huh…that’s a good point,” they said.
And this applies to *any* industry where there is risk, and especially where that sort of business risk (usually through professional indemnity) is meant to be insurable.
I wonder, *are* insurance companies carving out AI use risks? And if not, why not?
I obviously immediately thought to ask @davidgerard, and Fedi more generally, for examples relating to same to add to my exhortations to my colleagues in the strata management industry (at least) to just “Say no to slop.”
-
I asked someone in my industry yesterday why anyone in it would take on the risks of AI hallucinations and omissions, when there is a strict licensing, continuing professional development, regulatory, oversight, and Court/Tribunal environment we work in (in fact we were in 4 hour government-mandated CPD training at the time), pointed out AI companies weren’t wearing that risk, and said I couldn’t imagine insurance companies covering that risk.
“Huh…that’s a good point,” they said.
And this applies to *any* industry where there is risk, and especially where that sort of business risk (usually through professional indemnity) is meant to be insurable.
I wonder, *are* insurance companies carving out AI use risks? And if not, why not?
I obviously immediately thought to ask @davidgerard, and Fedi more generally, for examples relating to same to add to my exhortations to my colleagues in the strata management industry (at least) to just “Say no to slop.”
-
I asked someone in my industry yesterday why anyone in it would take on the risks of AI hallucinations and omissions, when there is a strict licensing, continuing professional development, regulatory, oversight, and Court/Tribunal environment we work in (in fact we were in 4 hour government-mandated CPD training at the time), pointed out AI companies weren’t wearing that risk, and said I couldn’t imagine insurance companies covering that risk.
“Huh…that’s a good point,” they said.
And this applies to *any* industry where there is risk, and especially where that sort of business risk (usually through professional indemnity) is meant to be insurable.
I wonder, *are* insurance companies carving out AI use risks? And if not, why not?
I obviously immediately thought to ask @davidgerard, and Fedi more generally, for examples relating to same to add to my exhortations to my colleagues in the strata management industry (at least) to just “Say no to slop.”
-
I asked someone in my industry yesterday why anyone in it would take on the risks of AI hallucinations and omissions, when there is a strict licensing, continuing professional development, regulatory, oversight, and Court/Tribunal environment we work in (in fact we were in 4 hour government-mandated CPD training at the time), pointed out AI companies weren’t wearing that risk, and said I couldn’t imagine insurance companies covering that risk.
“Huh…that’s a good point,” they said.
And this applies to *any* industry where there is risk, and especially where that sort of business risk (usually through professional indemnity) is meant to be insurable.
I wonder, *are* insurance companies carving out AI use risks? And if not, why not?
I obviously immediately thought to ask @davidgerard, and Fedi more generally, for examples relating to same to add to my exhortations to my colleagues in the strata management industry (at least) to just “Say no to slop.”
-
I asked someone in my industry yesterday why anyone in it would take on the risks of AI hallucinations and omissions, when there is a strict licensing, continuing professional development, regulatory, oversight, and Court/Tribunal environment we work in (in fact we were in 4 hour government-mandated CPD training at the time), pointed out AI companies weren’t wearing that risk, and said I couldn’t imagine insurance companies covering that risk.
“Huh…that’s a good point,” they said.
And this applies to *any* industry where there is risk, and especially where that sort of business risk (usually through professional indemnity) is meant to be insurable.
I wonder, *are* insurance companies carving out AI use risks? And if not, why not?
I obviously immediately thought to ask @davidgerard, and Fedi more generally, for examples relating to same to add to my exhortations to my colleagues in the strata management industry (at least) to just “Say no to slop.”
-
Dear Fedi friends,
I hereby present you my new favorite website: https://isaiprofitable.com, which tracks the spending and revenue of all the major AI companies.
Oh it is glorious - the perfect link to share with AI-pilled people in your life.
Spoiler alert: there is a NO in big red letters on the homepage. And there's a running tally of the money spent on AI since the page loaded.
@davidgerard you would love it
-
Dear Fedi friends,
I hereby present you my new favorite website: https://isaiprofitable.com, which tracks the spending and revenue of all the major AI companies.
Oh it is glorious - the perfect link to share with AI-pilled people in your life.
Spoiler alert: there is a NO in big red letters on the homepage. And there's a running tally of the money spent on AI since the page loaded.
@davidgerard you would love it
-
Dear Fedi friends,
I hereby present you my new favorite website: https://isaiprofitable.com, which tracks the spending and revenue of all the major AI companies.
Oh it is glorious - the perfect link to share with AI-pilled people in your life.
Spoiler alert: there is a NO in big red letters on the homepage. And there's a running tally of the money spent on AI since the page loaded.
@davidgerard you would love it
-
Dear Fedi friends,
I hereby present you my new favorite website: https://isaiprofitable.com, which tracks the spending and revenue of all the major AI companies.
Oh it is glorious - the perfect link to share with AI-pilled people in your life.
Spoiler alert: there is a NO in big red letters on the homepage. And there's a running tally of the money spent on AI since the page loaded.
@davidgerard you would love it
-
Dear Fedi friends,
I hereby present you my new favorite website: https://isaiprofitable.com, which tracks the spending and revenue of all the major AI companies.
Oh it is glorious - the perfect link to share with AI-pilled people in your life.
Spoiler alert: there is a NO in big red letters on the homepage. And there's a running tally of the money spent on AI since the page loaded.
@davidgerard you would love it
-
More #DataCenters, more #environmental problems?
As #AI’s reach grows, the need for data centers multiplies. So, too, could the #EcologicalImpacts without hands-on mitigation.
By Ambika Kandasamy, Sep 24, 2025
Excerpt: "A December 2024 preprint of a study from researchers at the University of California, Riverside, and California Institute of Technology outlined the toll of AI-related #AirPollution. 'AI contributes substantially to air quality degradation and public health costs through the emission of various criteria #AirPollutants,' the authors wrote.
"Other forms of #pollution, such as light and noise, also could be problematic. Neil Carter, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, has studied the links between #SensoryPollution and conservation. While he hasn’t researched #AIDatacenters’ impact on #wildlife specifically, he says AI data centers potentially could be '#SensoryDangerZones.'
" 'Sensory danger zones are basically where we have reason to believe that the amount of light and the amount of noise is exceeding thresholds by which you can imagine there being a fitness consequence for species,' Carter says. 'And they may not be able to carry out the necessary functions that they normally would.' Research by Carter and his colleagues has explored how #LightPollution, for example, could disrupt the dynamics between predator and prey species, such as #cougars and #MuleDeer. Their research also has looked into how #AnthropogenicSounds could affect reproduction in #birds including the #NorthernCardinal, #OakTitmouse and #BarnSwallow.
"To address some of these issues, experts recommend adopting sustainable strategies when building and operating AI data centers and when using AI. The decisions 'we make today will be having an impact on the public health for many years to come, due to the long life span for data center projects,' says Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Riverside, and an author of the #AirPollution study."
Read more:
https://www.nwf.org/Home/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2025/Fall/Conservation/AI-Data-Centers#Datacenters #EnvironmentalImpact #NoisePollution #EndangeredSpecies
#DataCenterMoratorium #AISucks
#NoDatacenters
#HyperscaleDatacenters #ResistDatacenters #Resistance
#FightBack #DatacentersSuck
#AIResistance #AISucks
#AIDataCenters -
More #DataCenters, more #environmental problems?
As #AI’s reach grows, the need for data centers multiplies. So, too, could the #EcologicalImpacts without hands-on mitigation.
By Ambika Kandasamy, Sep 24, 2025
Excerpt: "A December 2024 preprint of a study from researchers at the University of California, Riverside, and California Institute of Technology outlined the toll of AI-related #AirPollution. 'AI contributes substantially to air quality degradation and public health costs through the emission of various criteria #AirPollutants,' the authors wrote.
"Other forms of #pollution, such as light and noise, also could be problematic. Neil Carter, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, has studied the links between #SensoryPollution and conservation. While he hasn’t researched #AIDatacenters’ impact on #wildlife specifically, he says AI data centers potentially could be '#SensoryDangerZones.'
" 'Sensory danger zones are basically where we have reason to believe that the amount of light and the amount of noise is exceeding thresholds by which you can imagine there being a fitness consequence for species,' Carter says. 'And they may not be able to carry out the necessary functions that they normally would.' Research by Carter and his colleagues has explored how #LightPollution, for example, could disrupt the dynamics between predator and prey species, such as #cougars and #MuleDeer. Their research also has looked into how #AnthropogenicSounds could affect reproduction in #birds including the #NorthernCardinal, #OakTitmouse and #BarnSwallow.
"To address some of these issues, experts recommend adopting sustainable strategies when building and operating AI data centers and when using AI. The decisions 'we make today will be having an impact on the public health for many years to come, due to the long life span for data center projects,' says Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Riverside, and an author of the #AirPollution study."
Read more:
https://www.nwf.org/Home/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2025/Fall/Conservation/AI-Data-Centers#Datacenters #EnvironmentalImpact #NoisePollution #EndangeredSpecies
#DataCenterMoratorium #AISucks
#NoDatacenters
#HyperscaleDatacenters #ResistDatacenters #Resistance
#FightBack #DatacentersSuck
#AIResistance #AISucks
#AIDataCenters -
More #DataCenters, more #environmental problems?
As #AI’s reach grows, the need for data centers multiplies. So, too, could the #EcologicalImpacts without hands-on mitigation.
By Ambika Kandasamy, Sep 24, 2025
Excerpt: "A December 2024 preprint of a study from researchers at the University of California, Riverside, and California Institute of Technology outlined the toll of AI-related #AirPollution. 'AI contributes substantially to air quality degradation and public health costs through the emission of various criteria #AirPollutants,' the authors wrote.
"Other forms of #pollution, such as light and noise, also could be problematic. Neil Carter, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, has studied the links between #SensoryPollution and conservation. While he hasn’t researched #AIDatacenters’ impact on #wildlife specifically, he says AI data centers potentially could be '#SensoryDangerZones.'
" 'Sensory danger zones are basically where we have reason to believe that the amount of light and the amount of noise is exceeding thresholds by which you can imagine there being a fitness consequence for species,' Carter says. 'And they may not be able to carry out the necessary functions that they normally would.' Research by Carter and his colleagues has explored how #LightPollution, for example, could disrupt the dynamics between predator and prey species, such as #cougars and #MuleDeer. Their research also has looked into how #AnthropogenicSounds could affect reproduction in #birds including the #NorthernCardinal, #OakTitmouse and #BarnSwallow.
"To address some of these issues, experts recommend adopting sustainable strategies when building and operating AI data centers and when using AI. The decisions 'we make today will be having an impact on the public health for many years to come, due to the long life span for data center projects,' says Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Riverside, and an author of the #AirPollution study."
Read more:
https://www.nwf.org/Home/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2025/Fall/Conservation/AI-Data-Centers#Datacenters #EnvironmentalImpact #NoisePollution #EndangeredSpecies
#DataCenterMoratorium #AISucks
#NoDatacenters
#HyperscaleDatacenters #ResistDatacenters #Resistance
#FightBack #DatacentersSuck
#AIResistance #AISucks
#AIDataCenters -
More #DataCenters, more #environmental problems?
As #AI’s reach grows, the need for data centers multiplies. So, too, could the #EcologicalImpacts without hands-on mitigation.
By Ambika Kandasamy, Sep 24, 2025
Excerpt: "A December 2024 preprint of a study from researchers at the University of California, Riverside, and California Institute of Technology outlined the toll of AI-related #AirPollution. 'AI contributes substantially to air quality degradation and public health costs through the emission of various criteria #AirPollutants,' the authors wrote.
"Other forms of #pollution, such as light and noise, also could be problematic. Neil Carter, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, has studied the links between #SensoryPollution and conservation. While he hasn’t researched #AIDatacenters’ impact on #wildlife specifically, he says AI data centers potentially could be '#SensoryDangerZones.'
" 'Sensory danger zones are basically where we have reason to believe that the amount of light and the amount of noise is exceeding thresholds by which you can imagine there being a fitness consequence for species,' Carter says. 'And they may not be able to carry out the necessary functions that they normally would.' Research by Carter and his colleagues has explored how #LightPollution, for example, could disrupt the dynamics between predator and prey species, such as #cougars and #MuleDeer. Their research also has looked into how #AnthropogenicSounds could affect reproduction in #birds including the #NorthernCardinal, #OakTitmouse and #BarnSwallow.
"To address some of these issues, experts recommend adopting sustainable strategies when building and operating AI data centers and when using AI. The decisions 'we make today will be having an impact on the public health for many years to come, due to the long life span for data center projects,' says Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Riverside, and an author of the #AirPollution study."
Read more:
https://www.nwf.org/Home/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2025/Fall/Conservation/AI-Data-Centers#Datacenters #EnvironmentalImpact #NoisePollution #EndangeredSpecies
#DataCenterMoratorium #AISucks
#NoDatacenters
#HyperscaleDatacenters #ResistDatacenters #Resistance
#FightBack #DatacentersSuck
#AIResistance #AISucks
#AIDataCenters -
More #DataCenters, more #environmental problems?
As #AI’s reach grows, the need for data centers multiplies. So, too, could the #EcologicalImpacts without hands-on mitigation.
By Ambika Kandasamy, Sep 24, 2025
Excerpt: "A December 2024 preprint of a study from researchers at the University of California, Riverside, and California Institute of Technology outlined the toll of AI-related #AirPollution. 'AI contributes substantially to air quality degradation and public health costs through the emission of various criteria #AirPollutants,' the authors wrote.
"Other forms of #pollution, such as light and noise, also could be problematic. Neil Carter, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, has studied the links between #SensoryPollution and conservation. While he hasn’t researched #AIDatacenters’ impact on #wildlife specifically, he says AI data centers potentially could be '#SensoryDangerZones.'
" 'Sensory danger zones are basically where we have reason to believe that the amount of light and the amount of noise is exceeding thresholds by which you can imagine there being a fitness consequence for species,' Carter says. 'And they may not be able to carry out the necessary functions that they normally would.' Research by Carter and his colleagues has explored how #LightPollution, for example, could disrupt the dynamics between predator and prey species, such as #cougars and #MuleDeer. Their research also has looked into how #AnthropogenicSounds could affect reproduction in #birds including the #NorthernCardinal, #OakTitmouse and #BarnSwallow.
"To address some of these issues, experts recommend adopting sustainable strategies when building and operating AI data centers and when using AI. The decisions 'we make today will be having an impact on the public health for many years to come, due to the long life span for data center projects,' says Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Riverside, and an author of the #AirPollution study."
Read more:
https://www.nwf.org/Home/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2025/Fall/Conservation/AI-Data-Centers#Datacenters #EnvironmentalImpact #NoisePollution #EndangeredSpecies
#DataCenterMoratorium #AISucks
#NoDatacenters
#HyperscaleDatacenters #ResistDatacenters #Resistance
#FightBack #DatacentersSuck
#AIResistance #AISucks
#AIDataCenters -
The Dangers of #Datacenters
by Elan Justice Pavlinich, PhD
Feb 27, 2026"Data Centers are large facilities containing computer servers used for data storage, data analytics, generative AI, and streaming services. Data centers represent health risks for their neighbors. These risks are especially high from hyperscale data centers powered by fossil fuels, such as those proposed for some parts of Pennsylvania. Listed below are some of the top problems data centers impose on nearby communities.
#NoisePollutionData centers cause noise pollution. First, the heavy equipment used to construct the facilities are loud. Then, once they are up and running, diesel generators plus heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems create a constant hum that can be audible to neighboring residents and wildlife. Data centers generate noise levels that may exceed 90 decibels. Noise levels above 85 decibels are harmful to hearing.
#LightPollutionData centers generate light pollution. Hyperscale facilities require all-night lighting that disrupts the natural (circadian) rhythms of the body, including melatonin production (the hormone that regulates sleep) and sleep-wake cycles. Light pollution is also disturbing migration patterns and habitat development among birds, butterflies, bats, cats, and turtles—to name only a handful.
The long-term impacts of both noise and light pollution include hearing loss, stress, insomnia, and decreased quality of life.
#AirPollutionData centers, especially gas-powered data centers, emit significant pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, methane, volatile organic compounds, and fine particulate matter. According to a September 2025 study, these pollutants increase rates of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions, and they elevate cancer risks among nearby communities. A 2025 model indicates that U.S. data centers in 2030 could cause approximately 600,000 asthma symptom cases and 1,300 premature deaths, exceeding 1/3 of asthma deaths in the U.S. each year, resulting in a public health burden of more than $20 billion.
#WaterWasteData centers require water to cool computer servers so they do not become too hot to function. A large data center will use up to 5 million gallons of water daily. Drawing from local water supplies, these facilities are slurping up resources that should be available to residents in water-scarce regions. In fact, data centers increase the threat of water insecurity, and thus dehydration and poor hygiene.
Nevertheless, a 2025 report by SourceMaterial and The Guardian found that Google has seven active data centers in water-scarce areas of the U.S. and was planning to build six more. Prior to this, in 2023, the state of Arizona revoked construction permits for new homes due to a scarcity of groundwater in Maricopa County, where Meta has one data center, Microsoft has two data centers, and Google has one data center with a second in development.
Cost Increase for Home Energy ConsumersData centers have typically not paid their fair share in utilities, particularly for electricity consumption, and in those situations other consumers (including residential customers) have had to pay more than they otherwise would.
Utility companies identify data centers as large load customers, meaning that they require a lot more energy from the power grid. When a utility grid operator must add new infrastructure to accommodate growing populations or large load customers, rates may increase for all users in that region, despite attempts to regulate those increases or to allocate costs to the large load customer. In fact, utility grid operators will sometimes negotiate lower rates to incentivize large load customers to build in their territory, meaning that additional expenses must be covered by the other customer segments.
Last year, analysts estimated a 20% rate increase for Pennsylvania households. The U.S. Energy Information Administration shows the average resident has been paying 37% more for electricity since 2020. U.S. energy demand is expected to grow 2.5% annually over the next decade. Therefore, it is likely that residents will see an increase in energy rates. These trends indicate data centers make cost of living more expensive.
In response to escalating concerns over energy costs, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently announced new standards that require data center developers to construct their own energy sources or pay for the upgrades to the grid, sparing local consumers the costs. It remains to be seen how, when, and for which facilities those standards will be enforced, but even if the average home is spared the additional financial costs of a data center boom, there is still the price of numerous environmental hazards listed above, especially if new data centers rely on fracked gas for power.
This data center boom and the subsequent demand for more energy presents an opportunity to protect public health and to invest in renewable energy as a driver of the economy, but we need to make that choice now. If data centers are encroaching on our region, they must be powered by cleaner, renewable sources of energy to avoid imposing additional health hazards associated with oil and gas development onto nearby communities.
Who Is Affected?As with other forms of air pollution, those at increased risk include children, developing fetuses, pregnant people, elderly, and individuals with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
Data Centers also pose environmental justice concerns because they disproportionately affect minority and #LowIncome communities [like #SanfordME]. First, trends point to energy sources that fuel data centers being built near #BlackCommunities, which suffer the consequences of exposure to pollution, identified above. Plus, research indicates that the automation capabilities of AI are predicted to replace more jobs performed by Black people, and thus widening systemic inequities that overwhelmingly keep Black households at an economic disadvantage.
This trend is not a new one. In fact, for people throughout our region, it is a familiar story. Data centers powered by fracked gas, like other oil and gas industries, threaten some of our most vulnerable community members, but they also put every nearby person at greater risk for health consequences—not to mention the added financial burden of health care costs.
What Can We Do?The companies behind the data center boom are moving quickly into communities across the region, many with promises of prosperity. But some communities are pushing back and saying that data centers are not worth the health and environmental impacts. If you agree with that sentiment, there are steps you can take to combat data centers in your backyard.
- First, check if your municipality has a data center ordinance. If not, urge officials to adopt one.
- Then, identify opportunities for community participation before the proposed data center is approved. Will a public hearing be required? If so, take this opportunity to express your concerns and to share this resource with other community members.
- Next, reference nuisance control ordinances (rules for limiting noise, light, and vibrations), plus zoning laws that would restrict new data centers in your region.
- If the data center must be built, advocate for limiting the use of fossil fuels in both everyday operations and generator backups. Encourage decision makers and developers to utilize renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels.
- Finally, urge decision makers to require any facility to report their emissions and share an emergency preparedness plan with the community."
To learn more:
https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/post/the-dangers-of-data-centers#ResistDatacenters #Resistance #FightBack #DatacentersSuck #EnvironmentalRacism #AIResistance #AISucks #AIDataCenters #DatacenterMoratorium
-
The Dangers of #Datacenters
by Elan Justice Pavlinich, PhD
Feb 27, 2026"Data Centers are large facilities containing computer servers used for data storage, data analytics, generative AI, and streaming services. Data centers represent health risks for their neighbors. These risks are especially high from hyperscale data centers powered by fossil fuels, such as those proposed for some parts of Pennsylvania. Listed below are some of the top problems data centers impose on nearby communities.
#NoisePollutionData centers cause noise pollution. First, the heavy equipment used to construct the facilities are loud. Then, once they are up and running, diesel generators plus heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems create a constant hum that can be audible to neighboring residents and wildlife. Data centers generate noise levels that may exceed 90 decibels. Noise levels above 85 decibels are harmful to hearing.
#LightPollutionData centers generate light pollution. Hyperscale facilities require all-night lighting that disrupts the natural (circadian) rhythms of the body, including melatonin production (the hormone that regulates sleep) and sleep-wake cycles. Light pollution is also disturbing migration patterns and habitat development among birds, butterflies, bats, cats, and turtles—to name only a handful.
The long-term impacts of both noise and light pollution include hearing loss, stress, insomnia, and decreased quality of life.
#AirPollutionData centers, especially gas-powered data centers, emit significant pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, methane, volatile organic compounds, and fine particulate matter. According to a September 2025 study, these pollutants increase rates of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions, and they elevate cancer risks among nearby communities. A 2025 model indicates that U.S. data centers in 2030 could cause approximately 600,000 asthma symptom cases and 1,300 premature deaths, exceeding 1/3 of asthma deaths in the U.S. each year, resulting in a public health burden of more than $20 billion.
#WaterWasteData centers require water to cool computer servers so they do not become too hot to function. A large data center will use up to 5 million gallons of water daily. Drawing from local water supplies, these facilities are slurping up resources that should be available to residents in water-scarce regions. In fact, data centers increase the threat of water insecurity, and thus dehydration and poor hygiene.
Nevertheless, a 2025 report by SourceMaterial and The Guardian found that Google has seven active data centers in water-scarce areas of the U.S. and was planning to build six more. Prior to this, in 2023, the state of Arizona revoked construction permits for new homes due to a scarcity of groundwater in Maricopa County, where Meta has one data center, Microsoft has two data centers, and Google has one data center with a second in development.
Cost Increase for Home Energy ConsumersData centers have typically not paid their fair share in utilities, particularly for electricity consumption, and in those situations other consumers (including residential customers) have had to pay more than they otherwise would.
Utility companies identify data centers as large load customers, meaning that they require a lot more energy from the power grid. When a utility grid operator must add new infrastructure to accommodate growing populations or large load customers, rates may increase for all users in that region, despite attempts to regulate those increases or to allocate costs to the large load customer. In fact, utility grid operators will sometimes negotiate lower rates to incentivize large load customers to build in their territory, meaning that additional expenses must be covered by the other customer segments.
Last year, analysts estimated a 20% rate increase for Pennsylvania households. The U.S. Energy Information Administration shows the average resident has been paying 37% more for electricity since 2020. U.S. energy demand is expected to grow 2.5% annually over the next decade. Therefore, it is likely that residents will see an increase in energy rates. These trends indicate data centers make cost of living more expensive.
In response to escalating concerns over energy costs, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently announced new standards that require data center developers to construct their own energy sources or pay for the upgrades to the grid, sparing local consumers the costs. It remains to be seen how, when, and for which facilities those standards will be enforced, but even if the average home is spared the additional financial costs of a data center boom, there is still the price of numerous environmental hazards listed above, especially if new data centers rely on fracked gas for power.
This data center boom and the subsequent demand for more energy presents an opportunity to protect public health and to invest in renewable energy as a driver of the economy, but we need to make that choice now. If data centers are encroaching on our region, they must be powered by cleaner, renewable sources of energy to avoid imposing additional health hazards associated with oil and gas development onto nearby communities.
Who Is Affected?As with other forms of air pollution, those at increased risk include children, developing fetuses, pregnant people, elderly, and individuals with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
Data Centers also pose environmental justice concerns because they disproportionately affect minority and #LowIncome communities [like #SanfordME]. First, trends point to energy sources that fuel data centers being built near #BlackCommunities, which suffer the consequences of exposure to pollution, identified above. Plus, research indicates that the automation capabilities of AI are predicted to replace more jobs performed by Black people, and thus widening systemic inequities that overwhelmingly keep Black households at an economic disadvantage.
This trend is not a new one. In fact, for people throughout our region, it is a familiar story. Data centers powered by fracked gas, like other oil and gas industries, threaten some of our most vulnerable community members, but they also put every nearby person at greater risk for health consequences—not to mention the added financial burden of health care costs.
What Can We Do?The companies behind the data center boom are moving quickly into communities across the region, many with promises of prosperity. But some communities are pushing back and saying that data centers are not worth the health and environmental impacts. If you agree with that sentiment, there are steps you can take to combat data centers in your backyard.
- First, check if your municipality has a data center ordinance. If not, urge officials to adopt one.
- Then, identify opportunities for community participation before the proposed data center is approved. Will a public hearing be required? If so, take this opportunity to express your concerns and to share this resource with other community members.
- Next, reference nuisance control ordinances (rules for limiting noise, light, and vibrations), plus zoning laws that would restrict new data centers in your region.
- If the data center must be built, advocate for limiting the use of fossil fuels in both everyday operations and generator backups. Encourage decision makers and developers to utilize renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels.
- Finally, urge decision makers to require any facility to report their emissions and share an emergency preparedness plan with the community."
To learn more:
https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/post/the-dangers-of-data-centers#ResistDatacenters #Resistance #FightBack #DatacentersSuck #EnvironmentalRacism #AIResistance #AISucks #AIDataCenters #DatacenterMoratorium
-
The Dangers of #Datacenters
by Elan Justice Pavlinich, PhD
Feb 27, 2026"Data Centers are large facilities containing computer servers used for data storage, data analytics, generative AI, and streaming services. Data centers represent health risks for their neighbors. These risks are especially high from hyperscale data centers powered by fossil fuels, such as those proposed for some parts of Pennsylvania. Listed below are some of the top problems data centers impose on nearby communities.
#NoisePollutionData centers cause noise pollution. First, the heavy equipment used to construct the facilities are loud. Then, once they are up and running, diesel generators plus heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems create a constant hum that can be audible to neighboring residents and wildlife. Data centers generate noise levels that may exceed 90 decibels. Noise levels above 85 decibels are harmful to hearing.
#LightPollutionData centers generate light pollution. Hyperscale facilities require all-night lighting that disrupts the natural (circadian) rhythms of the body, including melatonin production (the hormone that regulates sleep) and sleep-wake cycles. Light pollution is also disturbing migration patterns and habitat development among birds, butterflies, bats, cats, and turtles—to name only a handful.
The long-term impacts of both noise and light pollution include hearing loss, stress, insomnia, and decreased quality of life.
#AirPollutionData centers, especially gas-powered data centers, emit significant pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, methane, volatile organic compounds, and fine particulate matter. According to a September 2025 study, these pollutants increase rates of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions, and they elevate cancer risks among nearby communities. A 2025 model indicates that U.S. data centers in 2030 could cause approximately 600,000 asthma symptom cases and 1,300 premature deaths, exceeding 1/3 of asthma deaths in the U.S. each year, resulting in a public health burden of more than $20 billion.
#WaterWasteData centers require water to cool computer servers so they do not become too hot to function. A large data center will use up to 5 million gallons of water daily. Drawing from local water supplies, these facilities are slurping up resources that should be available to residents in water-scarce regions. In fact, data centers increase the threat of water insecurity, and thus dehydration and poor hygiene.
Nevertheless, a 2025 report by SourceMaterial and The Guardian found that Google has seven active data centers in water-scarce areas of the U.S. and was planning to build six more. Prior to this, in 2023, the state of Arizona revoked construction permits for new homes due to a scarcity of groundwater in Maricopa County, where Meta has one data center, Microsoft has two data centers, and Google has one data center with a second in development.
Cost Increase for Home Energy ConsumersData centers have typically not paid their fair share in utilities, particularly for electricity consumption, and in those situations other consumers (including residential customers) have had to pay more than they otherwise would.
Utility companies identify data centers as large load customers, meaning that they require a lot more energy from the power grid. When a utility grid operator must add new infrastructure to accommodate growing populations or large load customers, rates may increase for all users in that region, despite attempts to regulate those increases or to allocate costs to the large load customer. In fact, utility grid operators will sometimes negotiate lower rates to incentivize large load customers to build in their territory, meaning that additional expenses must be covered by the other customer segments.
Last year, analysts estimated a 20% rate increase for Pennsylvania households. The U.S. Energy Information Administration shows the average resident has been paying 37% more for electricity since 2020. U.S. energy demand is expected to grow 2.5% annually over the next decade. Therefore, it is likely that residents will see an increase in energy rates. These trends indicate data centers make cost of living more expensive.
In response to escalating concerns over energy costs, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently announced new standards that require data center developers to construct their own energy sources or pay for the upgrades to the grid, sparing local consumers the costs. It remains to be seen how, when, and for which facilities those standards will be enforced, but even if the average home is spared the additional financial costs of a data center boom, there is still the price of numerous environmental hazards listed above, especially if new data centers rely on fracked gas for power.
This data center boom and the subsequent demand for more energy presents an opportunity to protect public health and to invest in renewable energy as a driver of the economy, but we need to make that choice now. If data centers are encroaching on our region, they must be powered by cleaner, renewable sources of energy to avoid imposing additional health hazards associated with oil and gas development onto nearby communities.
Who Is Affected?As with other forms of air pollution, those at increased risk include children, developing fetuses, pregnant people, elderly, and individuals with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
Data Centers also pose environmental justice concerns because they disproportionately affect minority and #LowIncome communities [like #SanfordME]. First, trends point to energy sources that fuel data centers being built near #BlackCommunities, which suffer the consequences of exposure to pollution, identified above. Plus, research indicates that the automation capabilities of AI are predicted to replace more jobs performed by Black people, and thus widening systemic inequities that overwhelmingly keep Black households at an economic disadvantage.
This trend is not a new one. In fact, for people throughout our region, it is a familiar story. Data centers powered by fracked gas, like other oil and gas industries, threaten some of our most vulnerable community members, but they also put every nearby person at greater risk for health consequences—not to mention the added financial burden of health care costs.
What Can We Do?The companies behind the data center boom are moving quickly into communities across the region, many with promises of prosperity. But some communities are pushing back and saying that data centers are not worth the health and environmental impacts. If you agree with that sentiment, there are steps you can take to combat data centers in your backyard.
- First, check if your municipality has a data center ordinance. If not, urge officials to adopt one.
- Then, identify opportunities for community participation before the proposed data center is approved. Will a public hearing be required? If so, take this opportunity to express your concerns and to share this resource with other community members.
- Next, reference nuisance control ordinances (rules for limiting noise, light, and vibrations), plus zoning laws that would restrict new data centers in your region.
- If the data center must be built, advocate for limiting the use of fossil fuels in both everyday operations and generator backups. Encourage decision makers and developers to utilize renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels.
- Finally, urge decision makers to require any facility to report their emissions and share an emergency preparedness plan with the community."
To learn more:
https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/post/the-dangers-of-data-centers#ResistDatacenters #Resistance #FightBack #DatacentersSuck #EnvironmentalRacism #AIResistance #AISucks #AIDataCenters #DatacenterMoratorium
-
The Dangers of #Datacenters
by Elan Justice Pavlinich, PhD
Feb 27, 2026"Data Centers are large facilities containing computer servers used for data storage, data analytics, generative AI, and streaming services. Data centers represent health risks for their neighbors. These risks are especially high from hyperscale data centers powered by fossil fuels, such as those proposed for some parts of Pennsylvania. Listed below are some of the top problems data centers impose on nearby communities.
#NoisePollutionData centers cause noise pollution. First, the heavy equipment used to construct the facilities are loud. Then, once they are up and running, diesel generators plus heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems create a constant hum that can be audible to neighboring residents and wildlife. Data centers generate noise levels that may exceed 90 decibels. Noise levels above 85 decibels are harmful to hearing.
#LightPollutionData centers generate light pollution. Hyperscale facilities require all-night lighting that disrupts the natural (circadian) rhythms of the body, including melatonin production (the hormone that regulates sleep) and sleep-wake cycles. Light pollution is also disturbing migration patterns and habitat development among birds, butterflies, bats, cats, and turtles—to name only a handful.
The long-term impacts of both noise and light pollution include hearing loss, stress, insomnia, and decreased quality of life.
#AirPollutionData centers, especially gas-powered data centers, emit significant pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, methane, volatile organic compounds, and fine particulate matter. According to a September 2025 study, these pollutants increase rates of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions, and they elevate cancer risks among nearby communities. A 2025 model indicates that U.S. data centers in 2030 could cause approximately 600,000 asthma symptom cases and 1,300 premature deaths, exceeding 1/3 of asthma deaths in the U.S. each year, resulting in a public health burden of more than $20 billion.
#WaterWasteData centers require water to cool computer servers so they do not become too hot to function. A large data center will use up to 5 million gallons of water daily. Drawing from local water supplies, these facilities are slurping up resources that should be available to residents in water-scarce regions. In fact, data centers increase the threat of water insecurity, and thus dehydration and poor hygiene.
Nevertheless, a 2025 report by SourceMaterial and The Guardian found that Google has seven active data centers in water-scarce areas of the U.S. and was planning to build six more. Prior to this, in 2023, the state of Arizona revoked construction permits for new homes due to a scarcity of groundwater in Maricopa County, where Meta has one data center, Microsoft has two data centers, and Google has one data center with a second in development.
Cost Increase for Home Energy ConsumersData centers have typically not paid their fair share in utilities, particularly for electricity consumption, and in those situations other consumers (including residential customers) have had to pay more than they otherwise would.
Utility companies identify data centers as large load customers, meaning that they require a lot more energy from the power grid. When a utility grid operator must add new infrastructure to accommodate growing populations or large load customers, rates may increase for all users in that region, despite attempts to regulate those increases or to allocate costs to the large load customer. In fact, utility grid operators will sometimes negotiate lower rates to incentivize large load customers to build in their territory, meaning that additional expenses must be covered by the other customer segments.
Last year, analysts estimated a 20% rate increase for Pennsylvania households. The U.S. Energy Information Administration shows the average resident has been paying 37% more for electricity since 2020. U.S. energy demand is expected to grow 2.5% annually over the next decade. Therefore, it is likely that residents will see an increase in energy rates. These trends indicate data centers make cost of living more expensive.
In response to escalating concerns over energy costs, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently announced new standards that require data center developers to construct their own energy sources or pay for the upgrades to the grid, sparing local consumers the costs. It remains to be seen how, when, and for which facilities those standards will be enforced, but even if the average home is spared the additional financial costs of a data center boom, there is still the price of numerous environmental hazards listed above, especially if new data centers rely on fracked gas for power.
This data center boom and the subsequent demand for more energy presents an opportunity to protect public health and to invest in renewable energy as a driver of the economy, but we need to make that choice now. If data centers are encroaching on our region, they must be powered by cleaner, renewable sources of energy to avoid imposing additional health hazards associated with oil and gas development onto nearby communities.
Who Is Affected?As with other forms of air pollution, those at increased risk include children, developing fetuses, pregnant people, elderly, and individuals with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
Data Centers also pose environmental justice concerns because they disproportionately affect minority and #LowIncome communities [like #SanfordME]. First, trends point to energy sources that fuel data centers being built near #BlackCommunities, which suffer the consequences of exposure to pollution, identified above. Plus, research indicates that the automation capabilities of AI are predicted to replace more jobs performed by Black people, and thus widening systemic inequities that overwhelmingly keep Black households at an economic disadvantage.
This trend is not a new one. In fact, for people throughout our region, it is a familiar story. Data centers powered by fracked gas, like other oil and gas industries, threaten some of our most vulnerable community members, but they also put every nearby person at greater risk for health consequences—not to mention the added financial burden of health care costs.
What Can We Do?The companies behind the data center boom are moving quickly into communities across the region, many with promises of prosperity. But some communities are pushing back and saying that data centers are not worth the health and environmental impacts. If you agree with that sentiment, there are steps you can take to combat data centers in your backyard.
- First, check if your municipality has a data center ordinance. If not, urge officials to adopt one.
- Then, identify opportunities for community participation before the proposed data center is approved. Will a public hearing be required? If so, take this opportunity to express your concerns and to share this resource with other community members.
- Next, reference nuisance control ordinances (rules for limiting noise, light, and vibrations), plus zoning laws that would restrict new data centers in your region.
- If the data center must be built, advocate for limiting the use of fossil fuels in both everyday operations and generator backups. Encourage decision makers and developers to utilize renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels.
- Finally, urge decision makers to require any facility to report their emissions and share an emergency preparedness plan with the community."
To learn more:
https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/post/the-dangers-of-data-centers#ResistDatacenters #Resistance #FightBack #DatacentersSuck #EnvironmentalRacism #AIResistance #AISucks #AIDataCenters #DatacenterMoratorium
-
The Dangers of #Datacenters
by Elan Justice Pavlinich, PhD
Feb 27, 2026"Data Centers are large facilities containing computer servers used for data storage, data analytics, generative AI, and streaming services. Data centers represent health risks for their neighbors. These risks are especially high from hyperscale data centers powered by fossil fuels, such as those proposed for some parts of Pennsylvania. Listed below are some of the top problems data centers impose on nearby communities.
#NoisePollutionData centers cause noise pollution. First, the heavy equipment used to construct the facilities are loud. Then, once they are up and running, diesel generators plus heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems create a constant hum that can be audible to neighboring residents and wildlife. Data centers generate noise levels that may exceed 90 decibels. Noise levels above 85 decibels are harmful to hearing.
#LightPollutionData centers generate light pollution. Hyperscale facilities require all-night lighting that disrupts the natural (circadian) rhythms of the body, including melatonin production (the hormone that regulates sleep) and sleep-wake cycles. Light pollution is also disturbing migration patterns and habitat development among birds, butterflies, bats, cats, and turtles—to name only a handful.
The long-term impacts of both noise and light pollution include hearing loss, stress, insomnia, and decreased quality of life.
#AirPollutionData centers, especially gas-powered data centers, emit significant pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, methane, volatile organic compounds, and fine particulate matter. According to a September 2025 study, these pollutants increase rates of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions, and they elevate cancer risks among nearby communities. A 2025 model indicates that U.S. data centers in 2030 could cause approximately 600,000 asthma symptom cases and 1,300 premature deaths, exceeding 1/3 of asthma deaths in the U.S. each year, resulting in a public health burden of more than $20 billion.
#WaterWasteData centers require water to cool computer servers so they do not become too hot to function. A large data center will use up to 5 million gallons of water daily. Drawing from local water supplies, these facilities are slurping up resources that should be available to residents in water-scarce regions. In fact, data centers increase the threat of water insecurity, and thus dehydration and poor hygiene.
Nevertheless, a 2025 report by SourceMaterial and The Guardian found that Google has seven active data centers in water-scarce areas of the U.S. and was planning to build six more. Prior to this, in 2023, the state of Arizona revoked construction permits for new homes due to a scarcity of groundwater in Maricopa County, where Meta has one data center, Microsoft has two data centers, and Google has one data center with a second in development.
Cost Increase for Home Energy ConsumersData centers have typically not paid their fair share in utilities, particularly for electricity consumption, and in those situations other consumers (including residential customers) have had to pay more than they otherwise would.
Utility companies identify data centers as large load customers, meaning that they require a lot more energy from the power grid. When a utility grid operator must add new infrastructure to accommodate growing populations or large load customers, rates may increase for all users in that region, despite attempts to regulate those increases or to allocate costs to the large load customer. In fact, utility grid operators will sometimes negotiate lower rates to incentivize large load customers to build in their territory, meaning that additional expenses must be covered by the other customer segments.
Last year, analysts estimated a 20% rate increase for Pennsylvania households. The U.S. Energy Information Administration shows the average resident has been paying 37% more for electricity since 2020. U.S. energy demand is expected to grow 2.5% annually over the next decade. Therefore, it is likely that residents will see an increase in energy rates. These trends indicate data centers make cost of living more expensive.
In response to escalating concerns over energy costs, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently announced new standards that require data center developers to construct their own energy sources or pay for the upgrades to the grid, sparing local consumers the costs. It remains to be seen how, when, and for which facilities those standards will be enforced, but even if the average home is spared the additional financial costs of a data center boom, there is still the price of numerous environmental hazards listed above, especially if new data centers rely on fracked gas for power.
This data center boom and the subsequent demand for more energy presents an opportunity to protect public health and to invest in renewable energy as a driver of the economy, but we need to make that choice now. If data centers are encroaching on our region, they must be powered by cleaner, renewable sources of energy to avoid imposing additional health hazards associated with oil and gas development onto nearby communities.
Who Is Affected?As with other forms of air pollution, those at increased risk include children, developing fetuses, pregnant people, elderly, and individuals with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
Data Centers also pose environmental justice concerns because they disproportionately affect minority and #LowIncome communities [like #SanfordME]. First, trends point to energy sources that fuel data centers being built near #BlackCommunities, which suffer the consequences of exposure to pollution, identified above. Plus, research indicates that the automation capabilities of AI are predicted to replace more jobs performed by Black people, and thus widening systemic inequities that overwhelmingly keep Black households at an economic disadvantage.
This trend is not a new one. In fact, for people throughout our region, it is a familiar story. Data centers powered by fracked gas, like other oil and gas industries, threaten some of our most vulnerable community members, but they also put every nearby person at greater risk for health consequences—not to mention the added financial burden of health care costs.
What Can We Do?The companies behind the data center boom are moving quickly into communities across the region, many with promises of prosperity. But some communities are pushing back and saying that data centers are not worth the health and environmental impacts. If you agree with that sentiment, there are steps you can take to combat data centers in your backyard.
- First, check if your municipality has a data center ordinance. If not, urge officials to adopt one.
- Then, identify opportunities for community participation before the proposed data center is approved. Will a public hearing be required? If so, take this opportunity to express your concerns and to share this resource with other community members.
- Next, reference nuisance control ordinances (rules for limiting noise, light, and vibrations), plus zoning laws that would restrict new data centers in your region.
- If the data center must be built, advocate for limiting the use of fossil fuels in both everyday operations and generator backups. Encourage decision makers and developers to utilize renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels.
- Finally, urge decision makers to require any facility to report their emissions and share an emergency preparedness plan with the community."
To learn more:
https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/post/the-dangers-of-data-centers#ResistDatacenters #Resistance #FightBack #DatacentersSuck #EnvironmentalRacism #AIResistance #AISucks #AIDataCenters #DatacenterMoratorium
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File under: AI Resistance
I'm reading – and enjoying immensely – @emilymbender and @alex's book #TheAICon.
I've been learning a lot of things and something that really stood out recently is the need to be careful about the language we use to describe these systems. Bender and Hanna helpfully explain:
"It matters what words we use when we talk about these technologies. For instance, in our writing, we don’t use the term “hallucination” to discuss the errors of LLMs, for two reasons. First, if it’s used tongue-in-cheek, it is making light of what can be symptoms of serious mental illness. Second,
“hallucination” refers to the experience of perceiving things that aren’t there. But LLMs actually don’t have perceptions, and suggesting that they do is yet more unhelpful anthropomorphization. That means we also avoid assigning thought processes to these systems, or saying that they can
“think”. Metaphors have power, they structure the frames of discourse, and they can subtly and insidiously encourage certain ways of understanding technology and the social systems it is embedded in."Antropomorphizing AI contributes to AI hype. Thanks Emily and Alex for helping me see things this way!
-
File under: AI Resistance
I'm reading – and enjoying immensely – @emilymbender and @alex's book #TheAICon.
I've been learning a lot of things and something that really stood out recently is the need to be careful about the language we use to describe these systems. Bender and Hanna helpfully explain:
"It matters what words we use when we talk about these technologies. For instance, in our writing, we don’t use the term “hallucination” to discuss the errors of LLMs, for two reasons. First, if it’s used tongue-in-cheek, it is making light of what can be symptoms of serious mental illness. Second,
“hallucination” refers to the experience of perceiving things that aren’t there. But LLMs actually don’t have perceptions, and suggesting that they do is yet more unhelpful anthropomorphization. That means we also avoid assigning thought processes to these systems, or saying that they can
“think”. Metaphors have power, they structure the frames of discourse, and they can subtly and insidiously encourage certain ways of understanding technology and the social systems it is embedded in."Antropomorphizing AI contributes to AI hype. Thanks Emily and Alex for helping me see things this way!
-
File under: AI Resistance
I'm reading – and enjoying immensely – @emilymbender and @alex's book #TheAICon.
I've been learning a lot of things and something that really stood out recently is the need to be careful about the language we use to describe these systems. Bender and Hanna helpfully explain:
"It matters what words we use when we talk about these technologies. For instance, in our writing, we don’t use the term “hallucination” to discuss the errors of LLMs, for two reasons. First, if it’s used tongue-in-cheek, it is making light of what can be symptoms of serious mental illness. Second,
“hallucination” refers to the experience of perceiving things that aren’t there. But LLMs actually don’t have perceptions, and suggesting that they do is yet more unhelpful anthropomorphization. That means we also avoid assigning thought processes to these systems, or saying that they can
“think”. Metaphors have power, they structure the frames of discourse, and they can subtly and insidiously encourage certain ways of understanding technology and the social systems it is embedded in."Antropomorphizing AI contributes to AI hype. Thanks Emily and Alex for helping me see things this way!
-
File under: AI Resistance
I'm reading – and enjoying immensely – @emilymbender and @alex's book #TheAICon.
I've been learning a lot of things and something that really stood out recently is the need to be careful about the language we use to describe these systems. Bender and Hanna helpfully explain:
"It matters what words we use when we talk about these technologies. For instance, in our writing, we don’t use the term “hallucination” to discuss the errors of LLMs, for two reasons. First, if it’s used tongue-in-cheek, it is making light of what can be symptoms of serious mental illness. Second,
“hallucination” refers to the experience of perceiving things that aren’t there. But LLMs actually don’t have perceptions, and suggesting that they do is yet more unhelpful anthropomorphization. That means we also avoid assigning thought processes to these systems, or saying that they can
“think”. Metaphors have power, they structure the frames of discourse, and they can subtly and insidiously encourage certain ways of understanding technology and the social systems it is embedded in."Antropomorphizing AI contributes to AI hype. Thanks Emily and Alex for helping me see things this way!
-
File under: AI Resistance
I'm reading – and enjoying immensely – @emilymbender and @alex's book #TheAICon.
I've been learning a lot of things and something that really stood out recently is the need to be careful about the language we use to describe these systems. Bender and Hanna helpfully explain:
"It matters what words we use when we talk about these technologies. For instance, in our writing, we don’t use the term “hallucination” to discuss the errors of LLMs, for two reasons. First, if it’s used tongue-in-cheek, it is making light of what can be symptoms of serious mental illness. Second,
“hallucination” refers to the experience of perceiving things that aren’t there. But LLMs actually don’t have perceptions, and suggesting that they do is yet more unhelpful anthropomorphization. That means we also avoid assigning thought processes to these systems, or saying that they can
“think”. Metaphors have power, they structure the frames of discourse, and they can subtly and insidiously encourage certain ways of understanding technology and the social systems it is embedded in."Antropomorphizing AI contributes to AI hype. Thanks Emily and Alex for helping me see things this way!