A recent Gallup survey has found that a majority of Americans oppose the construction of artificial intelligence-powered data centres near their homes, with opposition levels exceeding those against nuclear power plants. The findings highlight growing public fear over the immediate environmental and community impacts of AI technology.
Survey Findings
The survey revealed that 71% of US adults oppose the building of an AI data centre in their local area, with 48% expressing strong opposition. In comparison, 53% opposed having a nuclear power plant nearby. Gallup noted that opposition to nuclear plants has not exceeded 63% since it began tracking the question in 2001. These results emerge as AI companies rapidly expand infrastructure to meet surging computing demands, while local communities voice concerns over water usage, electricity consumption, traffic, and noise pollution.
Reasons for Opposition
According to Gallup's follow-up survey, about half of respondents who opposed data centres cited strain on water and energy systems, as well as potential loss of farmland. Approximately 22% raised quality-of-life issues such as increased traffic, while one in five worried about higher utility bills. Noise pollution was another frequently mentioned concern.
Wannie Park, CEO of PADO AI, an LG NOVA-backed energy management platform for data centres, argued that public resistance stems partly from a limited understanding of data centre operations and their economic benefits. “Isn’t that insane?” Park, an energy industry veteran, told Fortune. “I think it’s just uninformed stakeholders that aren’t really understanding what the opportunities are.” He added, “It was just a lack of education. There’s a lack of proper marketing and communication of what this is gonna do. And, I would argue that we haven’t done a good job of that, right?”
Growing AI Infrastructure Demand
Data centres have become increasingly resource-intensive due to rising AI workloads. US data centres accounted for roughly 4.4% of national electricity consumption in recent years, up from 1.9% in 2018, with estimates suggesting the figure could rise to 12% by 2028. Total demand from US data centres is expected to increase from 80 gigawatts in 2025 to 150 gigawatts in 2028. Studies cited in the report also indicate that AI alone may account for between 24 million and 44 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually by 2030. Additionally, data centres used about 17 billion gallons of water in 2023, triple the amount used in 2014.
Industry Perspective
Despite growing opposition, Park suggested that restrictions or moratoriums may only shift projects elsewhere rather than halt development. “The folks developing these sites, they kind of don’t care. If you want to shut us down here, we’re gonna go somewhere else,” he said. Park also noted sustained demand for AI computing infrastructure, stating, “Even if you track things where, oh, hey, I’m XYZ developer, and I’ve got this site that’s going to be developed, it’ll go online in three years, that compute is already pre-booked, like three years ahead of time. That is the amount of demand that’s there.”
