{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/prophecy-govs-site-finds-90-5-of-us-public-comments-oppose-new-data-ce","json":"https://digestai.news/story/prophecy-govs-site-finds-90-5-of-us-public-comments-oppose-new-data-ce.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/prophecy-govs-site-finds-90-5-of-us-public-comments-oppose-new-data-ce.md","slug":"prophecy-govs-site-finds-90-5-of-us-public-comments-oppose-new-data-ce","headline":"Prophecy Gov’s site finds 90.5% of US public comments oppose new data centers","summary":"A new website, *American Sentiment*, tracks public sentiment on AI data centers in the US. Operated by Prophecy Gov, an AI startup in San Francisco, it aggregates **10,202 comments** from **417 local government meetings** across **48 states** between unspecified dates and finds **90.5%** were negative. Only **7%** supported data centers, while **2.5%** asked questions. Meetings with no supporters occurred in **73%** of cases, and supporters were outnumbered **6:1** where they appeared.\n\nThe most common concerns were water use—highlighted by a **May 2026** report of a single project consuming **29 million gallons**—followed by local quality-of-life impacts and transparency. Rural areas focused on character and property rights, while urban/suburban areas cited pollution, distrust of government, and utility bills. Pollution was also flagged in a recent report warning data centers could reverse **15 years of greenhouse gas progress**.","keyPoints":["Prophecy Gov’s *American Sentiment* website analyzed **10,202 public comments** from **417 US meetings** on data centers","**90.5%** of comments opposed data centers, with **7%** supportive and **2.5%** asking questions"],"whyItMatters":"The data reveals a bipartisan, grassroots opposition to AI data centers, driven by local concerns like water use and pollution. This could slow expansion plans, forcing companies to address community fears or seek alternative sites.","category":{"slug":"hardware","name":"Hardware & Compute","url":"https://digestai.news/category/hardware"},"entities":{"companies":["Prophecy Gov","Amazon","Google","Meta","Microsoft","SpaceX/xAI"],"models":[],"people":["Elon Musk","Sam Altman","Peter Thiel","Mark Zuckerberg","Jeff Bezos","Oliver Haslam"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-11-02T15:19:12Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-02T15:19:12Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"Tom's Hardware","title":"'America hates data centers'","url":"https://tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/america-hates-data-centers-new-database-reveals-more-than-90-percent-of-10-000-public-comments-are-negative-only-21-percent-mention-ai-73-percent-of-meetings-had-no-data-center-supporters-water-is-the-number-one-concern","publishedAt":"2026-11-02T15:19:12Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Prophecy Gov’s site finds 90.5% of US public comments oppose new data centers\", 2 November 2026, https://digestai.news/story/prophecy-govs-site-finds-90-5-of-us-public-comments-oppose-new-data-ce","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Prophecy Gov’s site finds 90.5% of US public comments oppose new data centers","datePublished":"2026-11-02T15:19:12Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/prophecy-govs-site-finds-90-5-of-us-public-comments-oppose-new-data-ce"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}