--- title: "Americans’ Anger Against AI Data Centers Is Boiling Over" description: "New research has found intense disgust with data centers, as Bernie Sanders calls for a \"complete moratorium\" on their construction." date: "2026-03-14" modified: "2026-03-14" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/data-center-rage" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Americans’ Anger Against AI Data Centers Is Boiling Over ![Bernie Sanders is speaking passionately into a microphone, with his mouth open and one hand raised. He is wearing a dark jacket and a sweater underneath. The image has a strong red lighting effect.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Andres Kudacki / Getty Images* America *really* hates data centers. While the rise of grassroots [data center opposition]() makes compelling evidence on its own, a [new survey]() by the Pew Research Center shows just how bad the tech industry's PR problem really is. As [flagged by *404 Media*](), the majority of people surveyed said they think data centers are bad for the environment, home energy costs, and quality of life for people living nearby. Compared to the amount of hate data centers got, there wasn't a lot of love going around. A paltry 4 percent of Americans said data centers were "mostly good" for the environment, compared to 39 percent who said the opposite. Meanwhile, only 6 percent believed data centers have positive effects on their neighbors' quality of life and home energy cost, versus 30 percent and 38 percent who said they were "mostly bad," respectively. In more bad news for the data center industry, the respondents who were most familiar with data centers were more likely to have roundly negative attitudes about them. (A [similar phenomenon]() is playing out with AI itself.) For example, about two-thirds of participants who heard "a lot" about data centers said they're mostly bad for energy prices, compared to 42 percent who only know "a little." And if that wasn't enough, the survey also found that young people are more likely to have negative views than older ones. For example, 54 percent of adults under 30 had mostly negative attitudes toward data centers' impact on the environment, versus 26 percent of adults 65 and up. Those damning findings come after Vermont senator Bernie Sanders introduced new legislation to halt the construction of all new data centers throughout the US. "Bottom line: we are at the beginning of the most profound technological revolution in world history. That's the truth," Sanders declared in an [announcement video]() shared on social media. "The United States congress hasn't a clue — not a clue — as to how to respond to these revolutionary technologies and protect the American people." "For many years now, leading experts have called for regulation and reasonable pauses to the development of artificial intelligence, to ensure the safety — the very safety — of humanity," Sanders concluded. "We need to take a deep breath. We need to make sure AI and robotics work for all of us, not just a handful of billionaires." https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/2031868041940660673?s=20 **More on data centers:** *[You’ll Choke When You Hear How Many Full-Time Jobs a $136 Million Data Center Will Actually Create]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()