Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed on Monday that opposition to data centers is “coming from China.”
Johnson revealed his thoughts about AI data centers during an appearance on Fox Business when host Cheryl Casone suggested that China has been stoking the opposition.
“This is what Democrats do. Every election cycle they find something to glom onto and say that this is doom and gloom and everyone will die if we don’t win,” Johnson said. “Don’t buy it. This is a Chinese psyop. I really believe that. That’s not a conspiracy theory.”
While it is true that both Russia and China have an interest in stoking American opposition to data centers, all available evidence suggests that debates around the issue have been entirely homegrown, with a recent YouGov poll showing that nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their local communities. Data Center Watch also reported that nearly 120 data center projects were either blocked or delayed across the United States over the past six months.
Speaking with the New York Times in July, Jessica Brandt, a former official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence under the Biden administration, said that China and Russia have only exploited debates around data centers.
“Foreign actors aren’t manufacturing American debates over the future of A.I., they are exploiting them,” said Brandt, adding that the goal was to “deepen our divisions in order to dent our appeal and weaken us from within.”
“A Gallup poll in May found that 71 percent of Americans were somewhat or strongly opposed to having a data center built near them, almost 20 percentage points higher than those who opposed construction of a nearby nuclear power plant,” reported the Times.
“Many have broad concerns about the effects of A.I. on jobs and the climate, while people who live near data centers complain they are eyesores and emit annoying sounds. Some cities and counties have enacted temporary or permanent moratoriums on new construction,” it added.