Data Center Opposition Runs Deep in America—and It's Not What Big Tech Thinks

Major AI labs are betting trillions on massive data center expansion, convinced that computational scaling is the key to advancing artificial intelligence. Yet the public isn't buying in: over 60% of Americans support restricting new data centers, particularly near their homes, according to multiple recent surveys. This sentiment is accelerating—projects worth $68 billion have been derailed by local opposition in 2026 alone.

The industry has struggled to explain this backlash, with some offering implausible theories about adversarial interference. Now a fresh report from Data & Society based on 18 months of fieldwork in Pennsylvania offers a clearer picture of what's actually fueling resistance.

Why Pennsylvanians Are Skeptical#

The research draws on interviews with 44 residents conducted between 2024 and 2026. The authors found that many Pennsylvanians approach AI infrastructure promises with deep suspicion rooted in historical experience. The state has weathered waves of industrial transformation—coal extraction, oil drilling, steel manufacturing, and fracking—each leaving behind a complicated legacy of economic disruption and environmental impact.

According to the team, residents aren't simply rejecting development; they're pattern-matching against failed utopian pitches of the past. "People in Pennsylvania especially have incredible experience with industrial change, have deep lineages of industrial trauma, enough to sniff when things don't feel right to them," says Maia Woluchem, a program director at Data & Society who co-authored the report.

The contrast is striking: when Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro championed a $90 billion data center and AI investment summit in July 2025, he appeared to embrace the narrative. By mid-2026, he had reversed course, signing an order that imposed stricter requirements on data center projects and stripped them from expedited regulatory review.

A Coalition United by Distrust#

Opposition isn't monolithic or neatly partisan. The researchers found a diverse coalition motivated by distinct (though sometimes overlapping) concerns:

• Economic self-interest: residents worry about rising electricity costs, falling property values, and unfamiliar corporate tactics like requiring non-disclosure agreements from local officials
• Environmental concerns: groups focused on water depletion and energy-related emissions
• Skepticism of AI itself: people opposed to the technology and the corporate interests driving it