▲ AI Data Center Facilities
Concerns are growing that rival nations, including China and Russia, are attempting to exacerbate social divisions in the United States by fueling public opposition to the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
According to The New York Times (NYT) on July 9 (local time), an analysis of state-run media and social media from China, Russia, and Iran conducted this year by the risk intelligence firm Alethea has uncovered evidence that these countries are using the controversy surrounding AI data center expansion to stir discord within American society.
Alethea reported that social media accounts linked to Russian authorities circulated videos targeting a data center being built in Armenia by the U.S. company Firebird, claiming that the facility would be rendered useless due to the instability of the local power grid.
In other instances, Iranian state media highlighted ties between U.S. AI companies and Israel while criticizing the technological development race as reckless. Meanwhile, a Chinese state media outlet published satellite imagery of a data center in Gainesville, Virginia, claiming that AI advancement threatens the physical and economic well-being of Americans.
Chinese influencers also used OpenAI's ChatGPT to create cartoons alleging that electricity bills have skyrocketed due to the surge in data centers, which were then spread on the social media platform X.
According to Alethea, there were approximately 700 mentions of data centers in state-run media from China, Russia, and Iran between January and June of this year, averaging about four per day.
Some of this content cited criticisms from prominent U.S. figures, such as conservative commentator Tucker Carlson.
Experts pointed out that these nations are not necessarily sparking new debates regarding AI proliferation, but rather amplifying and reproducing existing grievances.
Jessica Brandt, a security expert who worked at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) during the Biden administration, stated that foreign powers are exploiting AI-related debates to "deepen divisions and undermine the appeal of the U.S., aiming to weaken America from within."
In the United States, opposition to the construction of data centers, which are essential for AI expansion, is indeed growing.
In a poll released by Gallup in May, 71% of respondents said they somewhat or strongly opposed the construction of data centers near their homes, a figure approximately 20 percentage points higher than the opposition rate for building nuclear power plants in residential areas.
Americans are concerned about rising electricity costs, noise pollution, landscape degradation, job losses, and climate impacts resulting from the construction of AI data centers, leading some local authorities to temporarily or permanently halt new data center projects.
Regarding this trend, the ruling Republican Party and the industry have criticized China for inciting public opposition to weaken U.S. leadership in AI.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) urged Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a letter, stating, "We must not allow any attempt by foreign adversaries to exploit fear to undermine our technological progress."
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum also commented on the assessment that external forces are fueling anti-data center sentiment, stating in an interview, "I think some of this propaganda is having an effect."
China has strongly pushed back against these claims.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., told the NYT in response to an inquiry that "such claims are nothing but completely groundless slander," adding that the U.S. and China "should cooperate to promote AI development and improve governance so that AI can better contribute to social development."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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