Conservative nonprofit organizes nationwide protests against AI data centers
Humans First coordinated more than 100 demonstrations across the United States on Saturday, targeting planned AI data center projects and urging local control over the technology's development.
Protesters gathered in dozens of locations from Alaska to Florida on Saturday to oppose the construction of artificial-intelligence data centers, part of a coordinated effort organized by the nonprofit Humans First. The group scheduled over 100 rallies, including 18 in Texas, where the state’s land, power grid access and tax incentives have attracted several AI facility projects. In New Jersey, demonstrators assembled outside a municipal court in Kenilworth to contest a proposed $1.8 billion data center, citing a petition that had collected more than 12,000 signatures.
"You think this is pressure? Wait 'til there's no water pressure," read one sign, while another urged, "Build community, not data centers."
Participants used noise makers, drums and chalk to draw attention, continuing their chants despite heavy rain. Humans First is led by Amy Kremer, a longtime conservative activist who said the fight against AI data centers is "the most important fight of our lifetime" and warned that the technology could have catastrophic impacts. She emphasized that AI development has been funded with American data, taxpayer dollars, energy and land, yet communities lack a voice in how it is used.
"The data center boom has been sold as inevitable. It is not. Communities have every right to ask what they are giving up and what they are getting in return," Kremer wrote on social media.
Industry leaders argue that large data centers are essential for AI advancement, national security and economic competitiveness, especially against China. Critics counter that the facilities can strain local water supplies, increase electricity costs and degrade quality of life, and they call for greater transparency in permitting processes. Some localities have paused or banned new data centers, and federal lawmakers such as Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders have advocated for a nationwide moratorium.
"We believe that each community should have a choice in what they put in their community," Kremer said, adding that decisions are often made behind closed doors.
The protests reflect a broader debate over the balance between technological growth and community impact, with activists urging Congress to enact stronger protections for residents.