The US anti-data center movement spread across the country on Saturday.
Protesters across the U.S. rallied against the massive facility as part of a nationwide demonstration organized by Humans First, a newly formed conservative nonprofit group tackling what it calls “Big AI.”
The group planned more than 100 demonstrations throughout the day, from Wasilla in south-central Alaska to the sunny shores of Naples, Florida. Multiple protests are scheduled in many states, with 18 scheduled in Texas, which is a prime destination for companies building AI data centers due to its available land, access to the power grid, and potential tax breaks.
Residents of Kenilworth, New Jersey are protesting future data center plans. Paola Chapdelaine/Business Insider
Two protests were held in New Jersey, including one in the small borough of Kenilworth. A crowd gathered outside the local district courthouse around 10 a.m. to resist construction of a $1.8 billion AI data center.
The local planning commission approved the project last May, but opposition has been mounting since then. A petition calling for construction to be halted in April received more than 12,000 signatures. According to the latest census, approximately 8,500 people live in Kenilworth.
A protest sign read: “You think this is the pressure? Wait until there is no water pressure.” Another is “Build communities, not data centers.”
Wearing a “Faith, Family, Freedom” T-shirt, Elizabeth Bertotto attended an anti-AI data center demonstration organized by Humans First in Kenilworth. Paola Chapdelaine/Business Insider
Some residents arrived with noise-making devices such as plastic horns, whistles and drums, while others brought colored chalk to mark nearby sidewalks. Despite heavy rain later that day, they were undaunted. Wearing ponchos and holding umbrellas, the demonstrators chanted chants and continued marching.
On Saturday, demonstrators in Kenilworth marched in the rain and made their voices heard. Paola Chapdelaine/Business Insider
grassroots efforts
Humans First is led by MAGA darling Amy Kremer, the most prominent figure in the conservative movement since 2009. A former Tea Party member, she co-founded Women for Trump and joined the Republican National Committee.
She also helped organize President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 rally in 2021, which later turned into a riot at the U.S. Capitol. (Kremer neither planned nor participated in the riot.)
In a previous interview with Business Insider, Kremer said he is now using his skills as a grassroots organizer to take on the AI industry.
“I think this is the most important fight of our lifetime,” Kremer said last month. “This technology could wipe us off the face of the earth.”
Americans staged protests across the United States on Saturday against the development of AI data centers. Paola Chapdelaine/Business Insider
The nonprofit advocates for an “America first” approach to AI that puts everyday residents at the center of the conversation and allows them to determine how the technology is developed over time.
“This technology was built on American data, with American tax dollars invested in these companies with American energy and American land,” Cramer said. “We don’t have a say in how technology is used and how it impacts our lives. That’s not right.”
On Saturday, Kremer expressed his gratitude to those who volunteered their time and energy to the demonstration.
“The data center boom has been sold as inevitable, but that is not the case. Communities have the right to ask what they are giving up and what they will get in return. America is not for sale and our communities are not collateral,” Kramer wrote in X.
A demonstrator waves a sign in Imperial, California, during a nationwide protest against AI data centers on Saturday. Sandy Huffaker/AFP
The AI divide
Technology leaders are making some grand promises about AI. They claim it will boost the economy, accelerate scientific progress, cure diseases and free humans from mundane tasks.
But AI can only go so far without large data centers that provide the computing power to run and train the technology. Companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Meta rely on data centers to keep their AI products running. For them, data centers are essential.
More than 1,400 AI data centers have already been built or approved for construction by the end of 2025. More AI data centers are proposed for 2026.
David Vanek held a sign opposing data center development in Kenilworth, New Jersey. Paola Chapdelaine/Business Insider
AI evangelists argue that the United States needs large data centers to support technology, strengthen national security and gain a competitive edge against China. In China, researchers are quickly catching up to the wealthiest research institutions in the United States. It also says hyperscale data centers will foster economic growth and create new jobs, especially during construction.
But critics aren’t sure the benefits outweigh the risks.
Many are concerned that AI data centers will cause environmental damage, raise electricity bills, drain water, and reduce the quality of life of the entire communities in which they are built.
Some Americans criticize local governments and developers for a lack of transparency regarding the approval process. Some people simply don’t like AI, as some prominent AI leaders have repeatedly warned that it has the potential to displace white-collar jobs.
In recent months, Americans opposed to the data center have launched petitions, flocked to planning meetings and taken legal action to halt construction. Some cities, towns, and even states have paused construction, while others have banned new data centers altogether. At the federal level, Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are calling for a nationwide moratorium.
Although the backlash against AI data centers is bipartisan, Americans do not necessarily agree on how to stop them.
Americans are protesting, starting petitions, and taking legal action to block the construction of AI data centers. Paola Chapdelaine/Business Insider
“We don’t believe in a national moratorium or even a statewide moratorium. We believe each community should have a choice in what goes into their community,” Kramer said. “And it’s not happening in a lot of places. It’s happening behind closed doors.”
Tech companies like President Donald Trump, who has put advances in AI at the center of his agenda. The Trump administration supported the Stargate Project, a $500 billion initiative to build more data centers and accelerate federal permitting.
“I’m adamant that if Republicans lose control of all chambers, they’re going to lean toward Democrats, because at the end of the day, all they care about is power and control,” Cramer said, referring to tech company leaders.
But Mr. Kramer defended Mr. Trump. She says the onus is on Congress.
“This is the responsibility of Congress, and Congress needs to get its act together to listen and protect the voices of the American people,” Cramer said. “President Trump’s executive order and his latest executive order on testing cutting-edge AI systems need to go even further.”