President Donald Trump urged governors and local officials Thursday to embrace AI data centers, a move that directly benefits tech giants while concerns mount over job instability and the continuing concentration of wealth. He made the pitch at an Environmental Protection Agency event, framing the expansion as an opportunity for local communities. Trump told the audience, "You can't fight it. You have to go with it," adding, "If you don't take all that money, somebody else is going to take it. You might as well do it yourself." This directive aligns the state directly with the interests of capital, pushing for infrastructure that serves the rapidly expanding AI industry.
Capital's New Frontier
The push for AI data centers comes with commitments from developers and utilities not to raise electricity prices, a pledge the article describes as a "no-brainer" for companies like OpenAI and Oracle. This arrangement provides political cover for these corporations as the economic realities of upgrading aging U.S. grids unfold over years and decades. Trump has explicitly aligned himself with these companies, even using an EPA event to promote their expansion. The industry's rapidly developing technology threatens to overwhelm political leaders' ability to sense changes in public sentiment, particularly regarding its economic impact.
While Trump touts a stock market boom, with the Nasdaq composite recording 20 record closes this year, few Americans hold enough stake in the market to benefit. Rising share prices of a select few tech companies and their indexes fail to alleviate widespread worries about job instability and the accelerating concentration of wealth. For example, Elon Musk's SpaceX, which appeared to be a lucrative opportunity for early investors, saw shares drop 30% last month for "regular Joes" fortunate enough to invest a few dollars in its IPO. This demonstrates how speculative capital accumulation benefits a narrow segment of the population while exposing others to risk.
Labor and Faith Leaders Push Back
An emerging coalition of religious leaders, labor unions, and local activists is increasingly warning that artificial intelligence requires stronger government oversight and regulation. This broad front worries about AI's potential for economic upheaval. Pope Leo XIV issued an influential encyclical this year, warning that AI needed guardrails to protect humanity. Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, praised the pope's warnings this week on CNBC's "Squawk Box," stating, "There are positive benefits, but there are also extraordinary harms." Kim highlighted AI's prominence in healthcare, education, and warfare, noting the risk of removing human beings from critical decision-making processes. He described it as "the construction of a Tower of Babel," a trust in technology that reflects human hubris and disconnects people from each other and from God.
Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. labor federation, spoke at the union's convention last month, directly challenging political candidates. "For all of those candidates who are already out there starting to run for president in 2028, if you want to hold the highest office in the land, hear these words: Working people should come before algorithms." Shuler does not claim to be anti-AI, but demands the new technology serve more than just tech firms and their investors. Sean O'Brien, head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who spoke at the Republican National Convention two years ago, stated at a recent event with Palantir CEO Alex Karp, "We've never had a seat at the table." Karp, who grew up in a union household, acknowledged the underlying tension, saying, "I think the biggest challenge to AI in this country is political unrest."
Widespread Resistance to Capital's Expansion
The potential for unrest is evident in the nationwide rumbling against data centers. New York state, under Gov. Kathy Hochul, has already imposed a moratorium on building new data centers. This issue transcends traditional political divides. A June poll by the Yale Program on Climate Communication revealed that 53% of conservative Republicans oppose building data centers locally, with 58% of registered voters sharing that opposition. A significant 74% of liberal Democrats also oppose local data center construction. This broad coalition of the religious right, labor unions, and local activists is uniting to demand a slowdown on AI development. Politicians who heed these warnings may find a powerful groundswell of support, while those who do not face Election Day in 101 days. The push for unchecked technological expansion by capital is meeting organized resistance from a diverse working class and its allies. This resistance challenges the state's role in facilitating wealth concentration for tech giants. It demands a reorientation of technology towards human needs, not corporate profit. The current system, however, continues to function as designed, concentrating wealth upward through the systematic underpayment of labor and the privatization of collective resources.