# Opinion: The AI industry is losing the argument with its neighbours

URL: https://ai-pulse.aglaganova.com/blog/opinion-the-ai-industry-is-losing-the-argument-with-its-neighbours
Published: 2026-10-26
Author: Roman Aglaganov, Full-stack developer
Category: Opinion
Region: North America
Tags: energy, regulation

> A new CNBC poll finds 63% of American voters oppose an AI data centre within ten miles of home, and only 13% support one. Promises of jobs and tax revenue are not working. The industry needs to change the deal, not the message.

![Illustration: a large black block like a building beside a row of small grey house shapes, with a red line drawn between them](https://ai-pulse.aglaganova.com/api/media/file/opinion-data-centres-1.png)

The AI industry has won over Washington. It has not won over the places where it wants to build. A CNBC survey of 1,000 registered voters, carried out on 14–18 October and published on 24 October, found 63% oppose an AI data centre within ten miles of their home. Just 13% support one.

## Not a partisan issue

The opposition crosses party lines. Democrats are the most hostile, with 80% opposed. But among supporters of President Trump’s MAGA movement, who mostly back faster AI development, only 29% would accept a nearby data centre, while 40% are against. Among all Republicans, support falls to 24%. Other polls this year found similar results.

Politicians have noticed. Ohio senator Jon Husted, who as lieutenant governor helped announce a $10 billion Amazon data-centre expansion, now backs a bill to make big data centres cover their own grid costs. Texas governor Greg Abbott paused data-centre permits pending grid and water reviews. President Trump himself says data centres should generate their own power and pay their neighbours a “dividend”.

## Why the pitch fails

The industry’s case is familiar: jobs, investment, tax revenue. The Data Center Coalition says operators are committed to “paying for the energy we use”. But people see something else: higher electricity bills, heavy water use, noise, land and tax breaks, and an industry whose leaders talk openly about replacing jobs. “Many people are annoyed by these data centers,” Brad Carson, who co-founded an AI-industry-backed group pushing for stronger rules, told CNBC.

## Change the deal

Better messaging will not fix this. A better deal might. That means paying the full cost of new power and grid connections, so household bills do not rise; publishing water use; agreeing binding local benefits up front, not vague promises; and giving communities a real say before land is bought, not after. Some companies already do parts of this. It needs to be the norm.

AI companies say the build-out is a matter of national importance. If so, they should treat the towns that host it as partners, not obstacles. Otherwise, one zoning vote at a time, the backlash will decide where, and whether, the AI future gets built.

## Sources

- [CNBC: Trump is pushing a massive AI buildout. His own voters are wary of what comes with it](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/24/trump-ai-data-centers-voter-backlash-midterms.html)
- [NBC News: As Trump pushes for data centers, voters in key midterm races say they don’t want them](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/trump-data-centers-voters-key-midterm-races-rcna594914)