Robert Bryce

You look at some of the PR tactics that have been used, and I see the same thing happen with solar and wind, where now, for instance, you know, some of the tech companies are saying, oh, the opposition, they're funded by the Chinese.

You know, with solar and wind, they said, oh, the opposition is being funded by big oil.

Well, that certainly wasn't true with big wind and big solar.

That's just I mean, you know, with the opposition to wind and solar and the Chinese money, I think it's a canard.

I just think it's not simply doesn't account for the scale of the opposition.

But I think it's important, Justin, too.

And I'm a reporter.

I pride myself on my numbers.

To put this into perspective, so yes, there is a backlash, and it's a cultural backlash, as I said, unlike anything I've seen.

Yes, there have been 107 rejections or restrictions so far this year in the U.S., but according to Atterio, there are now 769 data centers in the U.S.

under construction.

So...

Is this backlash having an effect?

Sure.

Is it stopping AI and the development of data centers more broadly?

I could argue it's an issue, but it is a long way from stopping the business from growing.

Well, of course.

And I wrote a piece on my Substack, I guess it was a week ago Sunday, and I listed the 10 reasons why local communities are fighting against these data centers.

And the next day, and I've got no line into the Vatican, but Pope Leo issued his encyclical on AI.

And then just today in the Wall Street Journal, there was an article that said Trump is now considering a policy that would require the AI companies to check their models with the federal government before they release them.