None are publicly planned in Oklahoma but Saturday will be a national day of protest against data centers, an event sponsored by Humans First, a conservative advocacy group.
Oklahoma is one of only 11 states where the protests will not be held in a backlash over the development of artificial intelligence centers. That’s not to say there haven’t been protests in Oklahoma against the data centers in some cities.
The organizer behind the near-nationwide protest effort is Humans First, a conservative advocacy group which professes the demonstrations are intended to pressure local, state and federal officials to protect communities from rising utility costs, water demand, noise, land-use changes and what it describes as national security risks tied to rapid AI expansion, according to Newsweek.
Protests are planned in states around Oklahoma including Texas where 15 such demonstrations are planned for Saturday. Kansas has one while there are 5 set to be held in Missouri, 3 in Arkansas, one in Louisiana, 2 in Colorado, and 4 in New Mexico.
Texas has the largest number of protests scheduled by 8 are set to be held in California and 8 in Georgia.
Humans First says that while more than 4,000 data centers have been built in the U.S., 70 percent of Americans oppose having one in their community—a figure recently revealed in a Gallup poll.
Amy Kremer, chair of Humans First, told Newsweek the group expects “a good turnout” on July 18, as more Americans are “signing up every day” to join them. When asked about the possibility of future action, Kremer said the group was “fully focused on July 18,” but to “stay tuned for what comes next.”
Large data complexes have seen increased development in recent years, attempting to keep up with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, and lawmakers and tech titans have treated the infrastructure as critical in the U.S.’s race to dominate in the AI space. The Trump administration has said that faster build-out is essential for staying ahead of rivals such as China.
The remaining states where no protests are scheduled include: South Dakota, North Dakota, Mississippi, Alabama, Rhode Island, Delaware, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
A report from The Wall Street Journal indicated that farmers and ranchers are not happy about the drain on local resources that data-center construction poses to the farm economy. They worry that AI data center construction on rural land is a threat to water supplies, electricity costs and farm acreage.
The report explained that farmland is attractive for tech companies, as data centers need large amounts of flat land as well as access to water, the same needs of farmers.
“It’s almost like the wild west to see who gets there first,” a fourth-generation corn and soybean farmer in Illinois said.
