A growing wave of public anger over sprawling data centre developments could become a defining political issue in the run-up to November’s midterm elections, according to Harvard historian and New Yorker writer Jill Lepore. In the latest edition of Politics Weekly America, host Jonathan Freedland spoke with Lepore about whether the backlash against the infrastructure powering artificial intelligence might signal the dawn of what she calls the “artificial state” — and how voters might respond at the ballot box.
With less than three months remaining until Americans head to the polls, Lepore argued that concerns over the rapid expansion of data centres are increasingly intersecting with more immediate pocketbook worries, including stubbornly high grocery prices, and the broader consequences of US military involvement in Iran.
A new front in the culture wars
Data centres, the vast warehouse-like facilities housing the servers and computing power that underpin generative AI, have proliferated across the United States over the past three years. Communities from Virginia’s “Data Centre Alley” to the deserts of Arizona and the farmlands of Iowa have found themselves hosting enormous industrial complexes, often accompanied by spikes in electricity demand, water consumption and noise pollution.
Lepore, whose recent work has examined the historical roots of technological anxiety in America, told Freedland that the backlash represents something deeper than a standard nimbyism row. The country, she suggested, is confronting the physical realities of an industry that has so far existed largely in the abstract.
“People are starting to see what the cloud actually looks like,” Lepore said. “And they don’t love it.”
The historian drew parallels with previous infrastructure fights, from the construction of interstate highways through urban neighbourhoods in the 1950s to the siting of nuclear power stations in the 1970s and 1980s. In each case, she noted, local opposition eventually fed into national politics, reshaping regulatory frameworks and, in some instances, electoral outcomes.
Grocery prices and foreign wars still dominate the discourse
Yet data centres remain a secondary concern for most voters. Polling consistently shows that economic issues continue to rank at the top of the electorate’s priorities. Grocery inflation, which has eased from its 2022 peak but remains noticeably higher than pre-pandemic norms, continues to shape consumer sentiment and, by extension, approval ratings for the incumbent administration.
Meanwhile, the war with Iran has introduced a volatile foreign policy dimension into the campaign. The conflict’s trajectory — and the cost in American lives and treasure — has given both parties fresh ammunition. Republican candidates have generally rallied behind the administration’s military posture, while Democrats have offered a more mixed message, with some progressive voices calling for de-escalation and others warning that a premature withdrawal could destabilise the Middle East further.
Whether the data centre question can rise above these more established concerns remains uncertain. But Lepore suggested that local elections, particularly at the state and county level, may provide an early reading on the strength of the movement.
The ‘artificial state’ and the road to November
The phrase “artificial state” — Lepore’s coinage for a polity increasingly organised around the needs of artificial intelligence rather than its human citizens — is unlikely to feature prominently in campaign advertising. Yet the concept captures something real about the current political moment.
Freedland pressed Lepore on whether the AI backlash represents a coherent ideology or simply a patchwork of unrelated local grievances. Her answer was characteristically nuanced. The opposition, she said, is less a movement than a mood — a growing sense among Americans that the benefits of the technology revolution are flowing disproportionately to a handful of wealthy corporations, while its costs are being borne by ordinary communities.
Whether that mood translates into votes remains the central question for both parties heading into the autumn campaign. The episode, produced by Nada Smiljanic and Danielle Stephens, was released on Friday 21 August 2026 and offers one of the more thought-provoking frameworks yet for understanding an election cycle that has so far defied easy characterisation.
Why it Matters
The data centre backlash is a stress test for America’s political system, forcing voters and policymakers to weigh the economic promise of artificial intelligence against its very tangible local costs. If Lepore is right, the issue will not remain on the fringes for long. Infrastructure fights have a habit of becoming political earthquakes, and the communities hosting the servers powering the AI boom are beginning to find their voice. For an industry that has until now operated with remarkable political immunity, that should serve as a warning shot.
