{
  "id": 7813127,
  "title": "How concerned are Americans about AI’s environmental impact? This new poll reveals the data",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/how-concerned-are-americans-about-ais-environmental-impact-this-new",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-16T14:55:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91608263/how-concerned-americans-about-ais-environmental-impact-new-poll-reveals-data"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent poll, 53% of Americans express \"extremely\" or \"very\" concern about artificial intelligence's environmental impact, a significant increase from 41% last year. Democrats are driving much of this growing concern, but the poll also reveals broader worries about the local impact of data centers that power AI and cloud computing.\n\nData centers are proliferating across the U.S., with Virginia, Texas, California, Ohio and New York leading the way. While 87% of existing data centers are located in urban areas, most new facilities are planned for rural locations. Democrats, in particular, express concern about the environmental footprint of data centers, which could grow rapidly as AI adoption increases.\n\nA United Nations University report predicts data centers' environmental impact will rival that of some of the world's largest countries. About two-thirds of Democrats express concern, compared to half of independents and 40% of Republicans. Overall, Americans are more concerned about AI's environmental impact than other industries with substantial footprints, such as meat production or air travel.\n\nSupport for limiting new data center construction is broad, with 60% of Americans backing restrictions on their proliferation. Concerns extend to issues like electricity prices, water supply, and the strain on local communities. Data centers consume vast amounts of electricity, with projections suggesting they could account for 11.8% of the U.S.'s electricity consumption by 2030.\n\nDespite these concerns, about 8 in 10 Americans support requiring data centers to use clean energy sources, particularly Democrats (56%) and Republicans (56%). However, some Americans feel the concerns are distant, with retired Republican Mary Fisher in Jacksonville, Florida, stating she hasn't seen any relevant issues in her neighborhood.",
  "summary": "On the way home from a recent trip, Eriech Tapia drove past a sea of dark industrial buildings lining an already jam-packed northern Virginia road: data centers . “It was interesting to see how many were going up,” said Tapia, a 30-year-old Republican from Arlington, Virginia, who works in higher education advocacy and policy. He said the data centers lend valuable computing power that can help…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Americans are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of AI, new poll finds",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/americans-are-increasingly-concerned-about-the-environmental-impact",
        "published": "2026-09-16T09:09:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Politico EU",
        "title": "Poll: Americans say there’s a serious risk of AI destroying humanity",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/poll-americans-say-theres-a-serious-risk-of-ai-destroying-humanity",
        "published": "2026-09-16T10:38:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}