Andy Masley: The data center backlash won't help AI safety — it may backfire
AndyMasley · x · 2026-09-03
Andy Masley, known for pushing back on misconceptions about data centers' environmental impact while also worrying about advanced AI risks, argues in a long-form post that the data center backlash is at best an opportunity to draw more people into thinking seriously about AI — but unlikely to help safety on its own, and potentially harmful.
- Extreme environmental reactions reinforce the "AI is fake and useless" view, preventing people from taking current and future capabilities seriously.
- Short of a national moratorium and strong export controls, the backlash is unlikely to slow AI progress much.
- It may lead voters to reward the wrong moves against AI companies; safely navigating advanced AI probably requires voters not viewing data centers as demons.
- He argues the AI safety community should maintain visibly reliable honesty — including refusing to amplify inflated statistics — as one of the only ways society will seriously try to work out what's coming.
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