Unpacking the Data Center Backlash with Jasmine Sun | The AI Policy Podcast

One of the biggest surprises I had when I was talking to people about data centers was how rarely AI ever came up. Almost all their concerns again were about the infrastructure and its quality of life effects or about distrust of the corporations and the backroom deals that were being made that they thought were

potentially screwing them over in this scenario.

Welcome back to the AI policy podcast. I'm Oluk Metha, director of the Wadwani AI Center here at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. This week, I'm really excited to welcome Jasmine Sun to the show. AI data centers have become a flash point for policy makers across the country in the leadup to the midterm elections with polls

showing that seven and 10 Americans oppose new data center construction in their local area. And these days, you'll be hardressed to find someone in Washington who cares deeply about this issue and has not had their views influenced in some way by Jasmine's reporting on the subject. Jasmine is a writer who covers AI and Silicon Valley

culture in her Substack. Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal. Jasmine, thank you for joining us today. >> Thanks so much for having me. >> Yeah. So, one of the reasons I reached out is because you had this really well-received article called No Data

Centers in My Backyard. Um, and I and I think a lot of people I've talked to consider it one of the best pieces out there in terms of reporting on data centers. And I really want to dive into that article, but before I do that, I sort of wanted to ask um sort of did you