Poll shows Americans are increasingly alarmed by AI’s ecological footprint

Over half of Americans fear AI-driven data centers will hike electricity costs and strain water supplies in local areas, according to new poll.A new survey of adults in the United States finds that more than half worry about Artificial Intelligence’s environmental impact, up 12 percentage points from last year.The poll, a joint effort by The Associated Press, the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute, indicated that Americans dread AI’s carbon footprint far more than high-emission giants like meat production and aviation.Released on Wednesday, data from interviews with 3,424 US adults in August show that 53 per cent of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about Artificial Intelligence’s environmental impacts. The increased wariness marks an upward trend from the 41 percent recorded last year.While Democrats are fuelling much of the rise in eco-awareness, with two-thirds expressing great concern compared to half of independents and 4 in 10 Republicans, greater public anxiety is emerging over how local data centres powering AI and cloud computing could affect nearby communities. According to the survey, most Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the impact of data centres on electricity prices or the water supply in the communities where they are built.“We’re undertaking a massive experiment in real time, and I don’t think there’ll be any putting the milk back in the bottle,” said Michael Greenstone, who directs the University of Chicago institute that collaborated on the survey. “Change is scary, and I think some of that is being reflected here.”