The battle in rural America against AI data centres | BBC Americast

Will opposition to data centres remake the political landscape in America?

These enormous buildings are being built to house the computers that process and store the huge amounts of data that AI companies work with.

But in places such as Utah, where a 62 square mile data centre has been approved, voters are voicing their concerns. These concerns range from the environmental impact; the effect on property prices and electricity costs; the constant noise and the aesthetic impact of these enormous buildings on the landscape.

This opposition is bi-partisan - affecting both Democrat and Republican voting areas and politicians in Washington have started to take note. Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders has sponsored a bill calling for the immediate moratorium on the building of new data centres, arguing that the federal government needs time to better regulate the AI industry.

In this episode, Anthony and Justin discuss whether this issue has the potential to impact the crucial Mid Term elections in November. And we hear from energy journalist Robert Bryce who has been tracking these protests across the United States and ask, are American voters turning against Big Tech?

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