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Booed commencement speeches, Molotov cocktails thrown at CEO homes and bullets fired at city councilmen\u2019s doors\u2014Americans are rapidly voicing their displeasure with AI. \u201cPeople just feel like they\u2019re under siege,\u201d Senator\u00a0Josh Hawley told The Wall Street Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pollsters say the speed of the public\u2019s sentiment shift from curious to downright hostile is unprecedented. The reasons are plentiful: fear of job replacement, concern over how the technology is affecting our kids and anger over the cost and environmental impact of AI data centers. Local opposition blocked or delayed 48 projects valued at $156 billion last year, according to Data Center Watch. A record 20 more were canceled in the first quarter of 2026.<\/p>\n AI companies are spending hundreds of millions on midterm elections to fight the backlash. OpenAI\u2019s Chris Lehane blames \u201cdoomers\u201d and negative media coverage. But there is serious concern that the fastest growing sector is also becoming the fastest growing PR crisis.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Booed commencement speeches, Molotov cocktails thrown at CEO homes and bullets fired at city councilmen\u2019s doors\u2014Americans are rapidly voicing their displeasure with AI. \u201cPeople just feel like they\u2019re under siege,\u201d Senator\u00a0Josh Hawley told The Wall Street Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pollsters say the speed of the public\u2019s sentiment shift from curious to downright hostile is unprecedented. The reasons are plentiful: fear of job replacement, concern over how the technology is affecting our kids and anger over the cost and environmental impact of AI data centers. Local opposition blocked or delayed 48 projects valued at $156 billion last year, according to Data Center Watch. A record 20 more were canceled in the first quarter of 2026.<\/p>\n AI companies are spending hundreds of millions on midterm elections to fight the backlash. OpenAI\u2019s Chris Lehane blames \u201cdoomers\u201d and negative media coverage. But there is serious concern that the fastest growing sector is also becoming the fastest growing PR crisis.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n