Amanda Mitchell

This piece is out! 4 sites, 10 days, and 6000 words on the politics of data centers in the Midwest: jasmi.news/p/no-data-centers… I talked to union leaders and real estate brokers, activists and local officials, politicians from Kathy Hochul to Abdul El-Sayed. A few takeaways: - Activists are as pissed at their local officials as at AI companies - The bigger the dollar signs, the more skeptical people are - Past corporate failures (Foxconn, GM, DTE) prime community distrust - Even data center proponents regret the NDAs - Media narratives turn local grievances into national movements - Residents fear getting left with the bag if the bubble pops The AI buildout is showing up in an environment of extreme distrust, and it slots perfectly into existing worries about risky tech bubbles & dark money in politics. Rationally speaking, I often agreed with the proponents; emotionally, I empathized with the opposition more. It was also just very fun (WI is esp lovely) and I highly recommend similar field trips to SF friends