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Artificial intelligence (AI) has been promoted by Silicon Valley as a new engine of global growth. But across the United States, a growing wave of opposition is emerging among ordinary Americans—from pastors and farmers to artists and teachers—who say the technology is advancing faster than regulations and public debate.
Opposition to AI is not being driven primarily by politicians or technologists, but by community members who describe concrete risks.
In Austin, Texas, Pastor Michael Grayston said he became concerned after hearing about a relationship involving an “artificial intelligence companion” that nearly damaged a marriage. He views the episode as evidence of broader ethical problems.
In Boise, Idaho, musician Jack Gardner and his wife, a music teacher, said they saw risks from a professional standpoint after discovering that AI can generate songs using copyrighted material. They formed a local group to advocate for AI regulation, which reportedly grew to 10 volunteers and collected 500 signatures of support.
In Wolcott, Indiana, the Snyder family and other local farmers opposed a proposed data center near their home, about 300 feet away. They said the facility would use more than 4 million gallons of water per day, raising concerns about groundwater and surrounding ecosystems. The family and allies also reportedly funded recall campaigns against local officials who supported the project.
Criticism of AI spans political lines. The article describes opposition that includes conservative figures such as Stephen K. Bannon and progressive politicians such as Bernie Sanders, reflecting a broader shift in who is raising concerns.
Supporters of regulation say tech companies are prioritizing profits over social welfare. Many argue that the hundreds of billions of dollars invested in AI could ultimately benefit the ultra-wealthy, while middle- and working-class communities bear the costs.
The AI boom became widely visible around 2022, when ChatGPT reportedly reached 100 million users in two months—an unusually fast adoption curve for software. Since then, the article says the tech industry has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in large data centers, which have expanded across the country.
Critics argue that policy has not kept pace. The article cites Senator Bernie Sanders asking why, for a technology that can affect everyone, there are not large-scale debates about its future.
The U.S. administration’s position, as described in the article, is that the goal is to maintain global AI leadership while requiring companies to pay for energy and infrastructure for data centers themselves. Opponents say these commitments do not go far enough.
The article points to shifting legal standards in the tech sector. It notes high-profile cases in which platforms such as Meta and YouTube were found liable for addictive products targeting young users, with penalties reaching hundreds of millions of dollars. Those rulings, the article says, reinforce the view that companies can be held responsible when their products cause harm.
It also highlights labor-market concerns. From 2022 to 2025, the article says around 150,000 technology jobs disappeared, and major corporate layoffs have intensified worries that AI could replace workers in the technology sector.
Not all reactions are pessimistic. The article says corporate leaders such as Nvidia’s Jensen Huang argue that AI will create more jobs than it destroys and help reduce living costs. Still, opponents say those claims have not reduced skepticism.
According to the article, the tech industry has responded with substantial political spending—pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into super PACs that back AI-friendly politicians or oppose tighter regulation. Opponents say they are not anti-technology, but instead want reasonable rules and responsible development.
The article describes efforts to influence the debate without calling for outright bans. Grayston, for example, does not advocate banning AI; he organizes discussions at his church and develops educational materials to help the community understand the technology.
It also describes cross-ideological cooperation among opponents of the Indiana data center, including the Snyder family, who describe themselves as “traditional republicans,” working with people from different political views.
In Boise, the local arts community is also engaged, with artists concerned that AI trained on copyrighted data could produce competing work quickly.
Overall, the article frames AI as no longer abstract: it is already affecting relationships, work, and the environment. It concludes with the question of whether society can adapt to AI’s pace, noting that the answer remains unclear as more ordinary people join the debate.
Source: NYT
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