Antipathy among Americans toward artificial intelligence (AI) and social media has recently reached a peak.

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has settled for up to 17 billion dollars, or approximately 23.5 trillion won, in a lawsuit filed by US state attorneys general alleging negligence in protecting minors, while opposition to data centers has emerged as a major issue for the November midterm elections.

Opinion polls also showed that a majority of Americans responded that the proliferation of AI in daily life brings more concerns than hopes.

The rapid rise of tech giants such as OpenAI and Anthropic is fueling deep discontent among Americans regarding the technology sector, US business channel CNBC reported on the 29th, local time, citing a survey by the Pew Research Center and other sources.

Contrary to the public proclamations made by leaders of Silicon Valley tech companies, diagnostics indicate that more Americans than ever are living through the present inside a nightmare brought on by technology.

In particular, people linking AI to job reductions are expressing strong discontent while looking at massive data centers.

In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center from June 22 to 28, 52 percent of Americans responded that the increased use of AI in daily life brings more concerns than hopes, a significant increase from 37 percent in 2021.

Respondents who said hopes outweighed concerns stood at 9 percent, while 37 percent said the two feelings were about equal.

Notably, 55 percent of adults under 30 responded for the first time that concerns outweighed hopes, showing a continued upward trend in worries, unlike other age groups.

Concerns over job losses caused by AI have consistently appeared in surveys targeting workers and youth as well.

Debates continue as warnings that AI threatens jobs clash with the opposing argument that AI creates jobs.

In particular, backlash surrounding data centers is fierce.

AI data centers are large-scale facilities housing the hardware required to train and run AI models, but they have emerged as physical manifestations of widespread anger toward AI.

Citing issues such as water consumption, rising electricity bills, noise, and the encroachment on farmland, hundreds of people have gathered to protest in places like Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

According to Data Center Watch, data center projects worth approximately 130 billion dollars were canceled or delayed due to local opposition in the first quarter of this year alone.

This level approaches the total scale of cancellations and delays for the entire year of 2025, which was about 156 billion dollars.

Ahead of the November midterm elections, this issue has surfaced as a bipartisan flashpoint.

Both Democratic and Republican candidates are raising their voices in opposition to data centers.

Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, said, "If the future envisioned by the AI industry materializes, there will be significant blows to the economy, jobs, and personal autonomy," adding, "Treating this simply as a public relations issue is a deeply misguided approach."

In a CNBC Generation Lab survey, more than 75 percent of respondents aged 18 to 34 answered that they do not trust Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to act responsibly, and 70 percent expressed similar views regarding OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Both companies are preparing for initial public offerings (IPOs) with valuations approaching 1 trillion dollars side by side, and CEO Amodei wrote on social media earlier this month, "This is fundamentally a crisis of trust."

Experts noted that the backlash against the tech sector is reaching new heights and widespread anxiety is overwhelming discussions about the benefits AI will bring.

(Photo: Getty Images)