The Artificial Intelligence Show · Thursday, August 6, 2026
The public perception of AI is increasingly negative, with a Gallup poll indicating only 18% of young people (14-29) feel hopeful about the technology. Additionally, 71% of Americans oppose the construction of new data centers in their local areas, making them less popular than nuclear power plants. This sentiment is further reflected in New York's announcement of a one-year moratorium on new data centers of 50 megawatts or more, and 142 protests against data centers organized across 42 states.
“Gallup has found only 18% of young people ages 14 to 29 feel hopeful about it.”
“Gallup found 71% of Americans oppose a data center in their local area.”
“And we covered more recently that New York Governor Kathy Hachol announced a one-year moratorium on new data centers of 50 megawatts or more. The first state to do that.”
“In the past few weeks, we had a group called Humans First, co-founded by a former Tea Party leader, coordinating 142 protests across 42 states against data centers.”