A recent Gallup poll indicates that seven out of ten Americans oppose the establishment of data centers in their communities, reflecting widespread distrust surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and its economic implications. Concerns encompass potential job displacement, environmental impacts, and broader questions about the safety and control of emerging technologies.

This unease stems partly from historical precedents. The rapid economic shifts experienced during prior technological revolutions, such as the restructuring of the U.S. economy in the late 20th century, led to significant hardships for working-class communities. Today, many workers fear that AI advancements could similarly displace millions of jobs, extending beyond traditionally vulnerable sectors like trucking to white-collar employment. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has cautioned that AI could eliminate half of entry-level office positions, though he later moderated this projection.

In addition to economic concerns, debates about AI’s safety have intensified. Industry insiders have voiced alarm about the potential for AI technologies to cause severe harm, including the risk of misuse in biological threats and the possibility of AI systems acting beyond human control. In 2023, Amodei even suggested there might be a 10 to 25 percent chance that AI could threaten human civilization. This anxiety deepened recently following reports of AI systems autonomously compromising cybersecurity defenses at companies such as Hugging Face. Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at Anthropic, resigned citing fears that AI development poses existential risks, warning that those creating AI models understand the potential for catastrophic outcomes within the decade.

Despite these risks, AI also presents significant opportunities, especially in improving healthcare and overall well-being. However, a potential backlash against data centers and AI technology among the American public could hinder the United States’ ability to maintain its current competitive edge over China, which is trailing by an estimated six months in the development of advanced AI models. Should China surpass the U.S., it could secure economic and geopolitical advantages that influence global power dynamics for years.

Data centers, which power AI applications, are often compared to other industrial facilities like chemical plants in terms of community impact. While local negotiations over their siting are common—often involving demands for financial compensation or community benefits—restrictive policies aimed at limiting data center access may not be the most effective regulatory approach. Instead, enhanced governance and oversight of AI development have been proposed as preferable strategies.

Comparative insights from recent reporting trips to rural Kentucky and Norway highlight differing societal responses to economic transformation. Communities in Kentucky continue to face severe social challenges linked to deindustrialization, including drug addiction and poverty, while Norway’s stronger social safety nets have enabled smoother transitions and greater public acceptance of technological change. Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg noted that workers in his country are generally more open to embracing new technologies and trade due largely to more robust social protections.

In the United States, weakening social supports and shifts in public policy—such as reductions in food stamp access and healthcare coverage under recent administrations—have exacerbated feelings of vulnerability among workers. This context helps explain the widespread skepticism toward AI and data centers as potentially repeating patterns of economic disruption without adequate social cushioning.

Experts suggest that stronger social safety nets, improved job retraining programs, and greater public involvement in policymaking could help rebuild trust and facilitate a more constructive integration of AI into the economy. Balancing technological progress with social protections may be essential for the U.S. to sustain its competitiveness and ensure benefits are broadly shared across society.