--- title: "Protestors Ransack AI Lab, Leave Graffiti Calling on Masses to “Burn the Data Centers”" description: "With anxiety over an AI doomsday reaching a fever pitch, some citizens of the world are no longer asking for regulations." date: "2026-09-19" modified: "2026-09-19" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins.md" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/protestors-smash-ai-lab-vandalism-burn-data-centers" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Protestors Ransack AI Lab, Leave Graffiti Calling on Masses to “Burn the Data Centers” ![A pair of photos show an AI facility defaced by protestors in Montreal.]() *Louis-Philippe Breton via Facebook* With anxiety over an AI doomsday reaching a fever pitch, some citizens of the world are no longer asking for regulations. Earlier this week, the offices of two Canadian AI labs were ransacked by what police officers describe as an organized group of vandals. According [to the *CBC*](), an office building belonging to Quebec's Artificial Intelligence Institute (MILA) in Montreal was defaced. Its windows were smashed out and its walls defaced with anti-AI graffiti. Another building nearby, belonging to an unnamed AI company, was also vandalized. Images shared by the *CBC* show one of the tags spray painted on the building, which reads "burn the data centers." "According to preliminary findings from the investigation, it appears that a group of about 10 individuals committed the crimes," Manual Couture, a spokesperson for the Montreal police said in a statement reported [by *CTV News*](). "The windows of the building were smashed and numerous graffiti tags were sprayed on the walls." At least one 25-year-old woman found near the scene was hauled in for questioning, *CBC* reported, though was later released without conditions. The vandalism comes amidst growing backlash against AI and the data centers that empower its growth. Scores of people [have been arrested]() in the United States after protesting or defying municipal leaders during local meetings. The temperature is rising to such a level that the social risk to AI data center development in the US alone threatened some [$130 billion]() worth of investments as of mid-August. The vandalism in Montreal is just a microcosm of that popular anti-AI sentiment — showing that if people continue to be ignored by their elected officials, they're not afraid to take matters into their own hands. **More on AI backlash:** *[Protesters Arrested After Storming OpenAI Lobbying Office]()* ## 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]()