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Democracy blindsides Silicon Valley’s power players looking to transform the world with AI

The Stanford ethicist Rob Reich was once invited to a dinner organized by a Silicon Valley mogul to discuss what a state designed to maximize science and tech powered by commercial models might look like. The gathered technologists were drawn to the idea of building a small nation-state dedicated to the endeavor, Reich recalls in “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot it”. When Reich asked whether this state would be a democracy, he got a cool no. “Democracy is too slow, and it holds scie…

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourceJournalismTRV-2026-1553· cite & verify
Democracy blindsides Silicon Valley’s power players looking to transform the world with AI

In brief

The piece describes a rising public revolt in the United States against AI datacenters. Local governments have imposed moratoria and bans, and surveys show growing negative views of datacenters and AI. The author argues the technology industry was unprepared for having to win public consent.

The article argues this matters because the backlash reflects distrust of who decides how AI is deployed, not just local opposition to construction. It is unclear whether public pressure can alter national policy, which the author says is driven by bipartisan competition with China and by the political weight of the tech sector. The text is opinion-led and cut off before its conclusion.

Main points

  1. A Marquette University Law School survey found 73% of Americans think datacenter costs outweigh benefits and 70% think AI is bad for society.
  2. Pew surveys show the share more concerned than excited about AI rose from 37% in 2021 to 52%, with 55% of young adults also souring.
  3. The EPA is planning to remove the rule requiring states to seek public input on air pollution permit applications for facilities like datacenters.
  4. The author says bipartisan concern about staying ahead of China is likely to override voters' worries about AI risks.

The problem

Public opposition to AI datacenters and AI itself is growing, yet federal policy priorities and a proposed EPA rule change may reduce local input into permitting, leaving communities with limited say over the buildout.

The rundown

The article opens with an anecdote from Stanford ethicist Rob Reich, who recalled technologists at a dinner dismissing democracy as too slow for science. The author uses it to frame a conflict between technology elites and democratic governance.

Beyond survey numbers, the author quotes Henry Farrell, who ties datacenter opposition to frustration among people who feel they do not make choices in their lives. Rumman Chowdhury is cited as saying that the narrative that AI cannot be stopped helps companies avoid responsibility for harm.

The author contends the backlash is unlikely to halt buildout, citing President Trump's support for the AI industry, the sector's economic dominance, and the proposed EPA permit change. Historical comparisons to mechanization and the Luddites are used to argue that automation has not recently delivered broad gains to workers without college degrees.

Sources

  1. JournalismThe Guardian2026-09-27

The debate