AI data centres have become a flashpoint in the United States, and a new multimillion-dollar advertising campaign is now attempting to reshape public opinion. The push comes as opposition to these large-scale AI server farms, known for their heavy energy and water consumption, continues to grow among American adults.
The effort is being led by a group called Build American AI, funded by the pro-AI political action committee Leading the Future. The campaign’s initial rollout targets key electoral battleground states, beginning with Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin, ahead of the November midterm elections.
Why opposition to data centres is rising
Resistance to data centres extends well beyond concerns about rising electricity and water bills, though those pressures remain significant after years of high inflation. Residents have also cited a range of environmental and health concerns, alongside broader unease about AI technology itself.
Grassroots initiatives have helped communities organise and stay informed, including a nationwide map of existing and proposed data centre projects launched by activist Erin Brockovich. Several cities have already approved bans or moratoriums on new developments.
The shift in public sentiment has been rapid. A study published by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that around two-thirds of US adults, 61 per cent, oppose new data centre builds near them. That opposition spans party lines, shared by Democrats at 69 per cent, Republicans at 54 per cent and independents at 53 per cent.
The political and marketing challenge
Prominent technology leaders, who have maintained close ties with the current administration, are backing the advertising blitz to sway public opinion as the elections approach. President Donald Trump has also weighed in publicly. In a post on Truth Social, he warned that local communities rejecting data centres would end up “backwards and poor”, and likened opposition to killing the “Golden Goose”, implying such resistance blocks economic growth.
Marketing specialists have suggested that reversing entrenched public attitudes will be extremely difficult. Ari Lightman, professor of digital media and marketing at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, said society is deeply polarised on AI-related issues. Technology companies are “trying to create an argument that local communities are going to benefit from the data centre”, he noted, while those communities are “saying, no, we don’t believe you”.
According to Lightman, campaigns aiming to shift opinion must build a strong case for local benefits and, above all, overcome deep-seated scepticism towards tech companies and AI.
The Build American AI campaign forms part of the super-PAC network Leading the Future, which is bankrolled and organised by a coalition of Silicon Valley investors, technology executives and veteran political operatives.
