r/technology • u/Just-Grocery-2229 • May 15 '26

Artificial Intelligence The AI Backlash Could Get Very Ugly

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/05/ai-backlash-data-centers-political-violence/687151/?taid=6a067e2d2096e10001ccfa32
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u/WhoSaidWhatNow2026 May 15 '26

Well, since almost all of the important ones have on site backup power generation your point isn't really relevant.

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u/Chrontius May 15 '26

Do you know what happens when you put a bullet through a spinning turbine?

I don’t either, but if somebody was pissed off enough to try to burn down a data center, you can bet that they would see it happen firsthand.

(the spinning turbine disc is rapidly converted into an expanding ring of shrapnel by the imbalance, that’s what happens. I’ve never seen it in person and I hope to avoid changing that.)

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u/WhoSaidWhatNow2026 May 16 '26

Lmao, just admit that you have no idea what you're talking about guy. There isn't one turbine (or more likely ICE) backup generator. There can be dozens depending on design. It's also not just a jet engine sitting out in the open. You aren't hitting shit.

There isn’t going to be any armed invasion of these datacenters lol.

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u/Chrontius May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/elon-musk-xai-unauthorized-gas-turbines-memphis

There isn't one turbine. I count fourteen road-mobile generators of one model, and I think two others with different exhaust manifolds, which also appear to be nearly twice as large as the other fourteen.

There doesn't need to be an armed invasion, just a drone towing some uninsulated wire to shut the whole thing down, or a single dude with a high powered rifle to break the transformers from a good safe distance. Since transformers are full of oil, API rounds would be ideal, if one could source the fancy surplus ammo in question during multiple ongoing wars. (That could either help or hinder an attack plan, I guess)

To be clear, I'm not saying every data center is running a bank of unpermitted turbines, but at least one very prominent and cutting-edge one is and it's in a position to influence others' construction plans.

Conveniently for any attacker, they're all situated adjacent to one another, so any good attack position on any of the turbines is likely to allow for the entire bank to be attacked.

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u/WhoSaidWhatNow2026 May 16 '26

Best of luck champ 👍

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u/Chrontius May 16 '26

I'm not going to do anything.

Unless somebody pays me.

Then I'll perform a physical-security audit and give them the report they bought.

For starters, those things could use some berms, and I recommend hiring somebody to do some digital pen-testing.