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Survey Finds AI Skepticism Is Fueling Opposition to New Data Center Projects

  • By Sean Parker
  • June 25, 2026

Key Takeaways

  • Milltown Partners survey finds public trust is becoming critical to AI data center development and expansion.
  • Opposition to AI infrastructure is driven by concerns over Big Tech, economic fairness, and AI's societal impact.
  • Addressing transparency, community benefits, and environmental concerns will be key to future AI infrastructure growth.

As investment in AI infrastructure accelerates across the United States, developers are encountering growing resistance from local communities. New research released by Milltown Partners suggests that much of that opposition extends beyond concerns about energy use and water consumption, reflecting broader unease over artificial intelligence, the influence of major technology companies, and whether the economic gains from AI will be shared equitably.


The survey of 6,872 registered U.S. voters, including respondents in Texas, Georgia, Michigan, California and North Carolina, where significant data center development is underway, found that public attitudes toward new facilities are closely tied to perceptions of AI itself.

 
According to the findings, Americans remain evenly divided between supporters, opponents and undecided voters, indicating that public trust may become as important as technical or environmental considerations in determining the future of AI infrastructure projects. The findings suggest that opposition to data centers is increasingly linked to distrust about AI, Big Tech, and economic fairness.

However, the report found that attitudes toward AI and large technology companies were a stronger indicator of opposition than whether someone lived near a data center. 

That finding challenges the idea that resistance is simply a "not in my backyard" issue. As the report notes, "Opposition to data centers is not primarily driven by proximity, but by broader concerns about AI, Big Tech, and economic fairness." 

Instead, data centers are becoming a visible symbol of wider concerns about AI adoption and the growing influence of large technology companies. 

Resource use remains one of the biggest concerns. Respondents pointed to rising energy demand, water consumption, and pressure on local infrastructure as key objections. As AI models become larger and more powerful, the industry will need significant new data center capacity to support them. 

Economic concerns also featured heavily in the research. Many respondents questioned whether the benefits of AI infrastructure would be shared by local communities or flow primarily to large technology companies. Concerns about affordability, fairness, and corporate influence appeared throughout the findings. 

For the tech industry, which presents a challenge that goes beyond permits and construction. Building public support for AI infrastructure may require addressing broader concerns about trust, transparency, and the real-world benefits of AI. 

As cloud providers and hyperscale operators continue investing billions of dollars in AI infrastructure, the debate is likely to intensify. The report suggests the industry's biggest challenge may not be building the technology but convincing the public that the benefits outweigh the costs. 

As the researchers concluded, "the backlash against data centers is about more than data centers." 

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