US AI boom: Opportunity and risk

Seventy-one percent of Americans oppose having AI data centers in their local area — more than those who would oppose a nuclear power plant. In Virginia, home to a third of the world’s data centers, residents complain of being blindsided as farmland is replaced by industrial facilities. In Utah, a proposed 62-square-mile data center would use more power than the entire state. Meanwhile, AI is extracting copyrighted material without consent, with authors receiving minimal compensation. Experts say AI will create a “job shift” rather than mass job loss but warn mid-career workers are most at risk.