Public Opposition to Data Centers Rises to 61% Amid Pro-AI Lobbying

Build American AI, a group backed by Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and OpenAI president Greg Brockman, is launching a multi-million dollar ad campaign in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin to support data center construction. However, an Annenberg Public Policy Center poll shows 61% of Americans now oppose local data centers, up from 49% in the spring. Former President Donald Trump warned that communities resisting these projects would fall behind, while Data Center Watch reports that approximately $130 billion in projects have been stalled or delayed in Q1 2026