New Report: Overseas Billionaires Bankroll Anti-AI Push Against U.S.

We are in the middle of mankind's third great societal and technological revolution. The first was the Agricultural Revolution, then the Industrial Revolution; now we are in the throes of the Information Revolution, and it sure seems to be picking up the pace with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and the massive, energy-hungry data centers that make it possible.

Now we learn that wealthy and influential people outside the United States are donating heavily to anti-AI and anti-data center groups in the United States, apparently with the intent of strangling American AI and data center development.

A new American Energy Institute report shows that foreign billionaires have provided funding upwards of $39 million to the anti-AI data center movement in the United States, with experts saying AI infrastructure must be advanced in order to assert American tech dominance over communist China.
Founder, CEO and Chairman of State Armor as well as expert on Chinese influence in America Michael Lucci told The Center Square: “Either the United States or communist China will dominate artificial intelligence, and therefore, likely dominate the leading technologies of the 21st-century.”
“The world we leave behind for our children and grandchildren will be a very dark one if a communist regime has technological dominance over the United States of America,” Lucci said.

It doesn't seem at all unlikely that China would seek to interfere in American technological development. There's just one problem: They aren't that good at it themselves. To date, most of China's technological capability has been bought, adapted or downright stolen from other countries.

Mr. Lucci, as well as another interested party, went on to point out that China isn't the only possible party involved in his effort:

“Some of this comes from direct enemies like Communist China and Russia,” Lucci said. “Other times it comes from wrong-headed European leftists who view technological development and energy consumption as an inherent evil.”
CEO of the American Energy Institute Jason Isaac told The Center Square that his organization’s report “makes clear that opposition to U.S. data center expansion is not organic or purely local.”
“It is being fueled by a coordinated network of activist groups backed by more than $39 million in foreign funding,” Isaac said.

Where data centers are concerned, this will very likely piggyback on the serious NIMBY concerns of a lot of Americans.

Here's Why Local Elections Matter - Half of Town's City Council Voted Out Over Data Center

There's a lot to consider here. The data centers required for this next big technological leap are huge, they are intrusive to the landscape, and they are energy-hungry. Some companies building data centers are already looking into independent electrical generation to meet the energy needs, including small modular reactors. The energy problems, though, may be easier to solve than the problem of where to locate these big data centers. It's an interesting problem; many people don't want to look out on one of these big facilities where pastures or forest once stood, but it would seem that some more urban locations might be suitable; manufacturing sites shuttered or greatly reduced could be repurposed, and would have the added benefits of bringing lots of well-paid jobs to these areas, many of which could use it.

Liberal urban politicians, though, well, they've never seen a good idea they wouldn't oppose.

Whatever the solution is to the data center problem, this is a matter in which it's not in our interest to let China - or Russia - get out ahead of us. AI is out, it is the next big thing, and it's also a genie that ain't going back in the bottle. We can either stay on the crest of the wave or drown.

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