AI Data Centers: The Appropriation of Land, Water, and Power

• Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich reports that AI data centers are aggressively consuming natural resources and impacting citizens, often without local transparency.
• There are currently 4,542 active data centers in the U.S. with 1,500 more in the planning stage, often in drought-stricken areas.
• A recent Gallup poll shows that 7 out of 10 Americans oppose data centers being built near them, marking a rare issue with bipartisan consensus.

Resource Depletion and Environmental Impact

• Water usage: Small data centers use approximately 500,000 gallons of water daily, while large ones consume up to 7 million gallons, equivalent to the usage of 15,000–20,000 families.
• Projections suggest a total annual water consumption of 2.2 to 2.7 trillion gallons for the industry.
• Noise pollution: Constant humming from facilities causes health issues for neighbors, including dizziness, nausea, and headaches.

Economic Consequences and Regulatory Pushback

• Utility costs: Infrastructure demands are shifting costs to consumers, with some residents reporting electricity bills increasing from $75 to $425.
• The PJM grid operator expects electricity auction results to add $6.3 billion in consumer costs over three years due to data center demand.
• Legal action: Approximately 300 municipalities have established moratoriums or bans. New York became the first state to pause new data center development for one year to establish environmental and utility standards.

Intellectual Property and AI Ownership

• Senator Bernie Sanders contends that AI models are built on stolen human intelligence—books, art, journalism, and research—without compensation.
• The proposed "American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act" aims to tax the stock of major AI companies by 50% to grant the public an ownership stake and board representation to protect the public interest.