Data centers are now a midterm issue, even in Brooklyn.
The topic of AI, data centers, and the backlash against the growing technocracy consumed nearly every conversation during a recent event.
Outside the tech bubble, data centers and AI have become such an intense ballot-box issue that they could sway some midterm races on November 3.
As a tech reporter, there is a growing chasm between tech and everyone else.
Some people see the benefits of AI and are ambitious and optimistic about its success. When speaking to people beyond the tech world, it is difficult to see how ugly the situation seems to them.
An event hosted by Newsreel, the media company founded by former Forbes and Newsweek reporter Jack Brewster, featured several speakers. Kenneth Schlenker, co-founder of the focus app Opal, discussed “the state of attention,” and Aryan Ranjan, who built the campaign management software Baraza, gave a midterm forecast.
Brewster stated that the goal of the event was for people to “put their phones away and talk to each other about the election, five days out.”
A recent report from Data Center Watch found that almost $200 billion in data center projects were delayed, stalled, or blocked in the first half of 2026 due to political and community opposition.
States including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, New York, and Virginia are considering implementing more guardrails and transparency measures concerning the rapid development of data centers.
In Virginia alone, hundreds of new data centers are planned, and the state is already nicknamed the “data center capital of the world.”
A fireside chat with New York City Council member Chi Ossé touched upon various topics. Regarding artificial intelligence, Ossé stated that he does not really use it.
Ossé emphasized that tech executives should be held more accountable and that trillionaires, such as Elon Musk, should be taxed more.
He described himself as a democratic socialist, but also as a “law and order” one.
When discussing a technology that could deplete 10% of human civilization, Ossé said that the CEOs should be called to testify in front of Congress.
A recent discussion regarding data centers highlighted significant public sentiment and political frustrations. The conversation included technology and human rights researcher Maia Woluchem and environmental and public health advocate Hilary Flint.
Public anger stems from the perception that large technology companies are engaging in secret deals with local officials to construct billion-dollar data centers. Furthermore, residents express concern that zoning rules often leave it unclear what is being built, making it too late to protest before construction proceeds.
These concerns intersect with broader societal anxieties. While residents struggle with the cost of living and efforts to maintain the American Dream, tech leaders discuss topics such as AI replacing workers or humanity itself. Residents feel a loss of control over events in their communities and worry about environmental and health risks.
Data centers are viewed as the physical embodiment of people’s fears and anger directed toward the tech class and the rapid pace of technology.
Protests against data center build-outs persist, with some communities protesting because they value their lives more than a temporary check.
A recent panel discussion featured NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon, political strategist Morris Katz, and Vox’s Astead Herndon. Although the discussion was intended to focus on the future of the Democratic Party, the conversation frequently shifted to data centers.
Some labor unions support data centers due to the jobs they promise. However, reports indicate that while data centers create many jobs initially, these jobs are not permanent once construction ends.
Communities in the Rust Belt once felt pride in ugly, enormous buildings, viewing them as symbols of prosperity, stability for their children, and a piece of the American dream, as everyone worked there.
Political reactions reflect this tension. Vivek Ramaswamy was booed in Ohio, a Rust Belt state, for making a similar point. Apolitical strategist Morris Katz expressed skepticism, stating that the same institutional powers that took union jobs away are now attempting to finish the job and take whatever scraps remain.
The conversation surrounding AI and data centers has intensified, moving from public discussion to private conversations.
The topic of AI and data centers came up in every conversation on stage and was the second most common topic in the questions people sent when they RSVP’d.
AI has become an election issue for regular voters.
The reaction to this trend varies by location:
In rural communities, the backlash is about feeling replaced.
In a place like Brooklyn, the focus is more about who gets rich from it.
This trend is happening even in New York, where data centers are not very visible.
In discussions about the craziest things seen in tech this year, two tech founders mentioned the AI assistant startup Instinct, while a non-tech person named Sam Altman was also mentioned.
The rise of deepfakes and AI art has been noted, with AI art starting to signal cheapness. This trend has caused luxury brands to react differently: Prada’s holiday campaign features hand-drawn illustrations, and Hermès has been spotlighting artists’ handmade work on Instagram.
A software engineer shared that the craziest thing she had seen was a person who painted their nails orange for Halloween and was asked if it was a tribute to the Anthropic IPO. The narrator admitted to having once worn a burnt orange dress and briefly thought of herself as the Claude logo.
Furthermore, data centers are appearing in the software engineer's Southern California hometown. She grew up in a Chinese immigrant community where neighbors were placing signs in their yards showing dragons choking a data center. These signs have since been translated into other languages.
