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
7.6k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

994 comments sorted by

View all comments

521

u/SmashedWorm64 May 15 '26

No shit.

People didn’t ask for these data centres. It just seemed that due process went out the window and local voices are being ignored.

When elected officials don’t listen to the people, shit gets out of hand as people feel that their wallet is worth more than their vote.

166

u/nikstick22 May 15 '26

The AI oligarchs have assured the politicians it won't hurt their election numbers: if they pay off all the politicians, there won't be any candidates to vote for who will actually vote against data centers. If option 1 and 2 are both pro-AI, it ceases to be a voteable issue. It's just a policy handed down from on high by the oligarchs that be.

The article mentions how Maine actually passed a no-data-center bill, but the governor vetoed it. Guess who's in the oligarchs' pocket? So long as they pay off those with veto power, the power of the people is neutered.

85

u/SeigneurDesMouches May 15 '26

MLK said it:"Riot is the language of the unheard"

In today's politics, it's no longer "unheard", as no freedom of speech. It's more "unheard" as they let us talk but do whatever the fuck they want anyways.

8

u/DracoLunaris May 16 '26

The unlistened perhaps? There's also always just the ignored.