Concerns about the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence in the United States are on the rise. According to a new survey, about half of Americans (53%) are worried about the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence, an increase from last year's figure of 41%.
Political Concerns About Artificial Intelligence
This concern is shared across all political parties. While 65% of Democrats, 42% of Republicans, and 49% of independents have expressed concern about the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence, these figures indicate an increase in concern among all groups compared to last year.
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Currently, there are 1,287 data centers operating in the United States, with over 2,000 new projects being planned. Virginia and Texas currently have the highest number of data centers, and many new developments are also taking place in rural areas in the South and Midwest of the United States.
Support for New Regulations
As the number of data centers increases, Americans are increasingly supporting measures to regulate the growth of these centers. Nearly 60% of Americans said they support limiting the number of new data centers. Additionally, Democrats are more concerned about the environmental impacts of data center growth; nearly two-thirds of them have expressed concern about this issue.
However, Republicans tend to focus more on the benefits of data centers. Despite this, about 30% of Republicans still believe that data centers are "not very" or "not at all" beneficial for improving infrastructure and creating jobs.
Most Americans (60%) are concerned about the impact of data centers on electricity prices and water resources in local communities. A report from the United Nations in June indicated that water consumption by artificial intelligence is expected to rise significantly in the coming years.
Concerns About Energy Consumption
The survey also revealed that Americans are more worried about the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence compared to other industries with significant environmental effects. About two-thirds of American adults are seeking to require data centers to use clean energy sources. Meanwhile, the lack of clean energy options predicts that data centers in the United States will consume more natural gas than most other countries by 2035.
The Trump administration, which is rolling back environmental regulations, has strongly supported the expansion of data centers and emphasized the importance of growing these centers for economic improvement. However, Americans are less confident about this issue, with about one-quarter of American adults believing that data centers are "very" or "somewhat" beneficial for technological advancement.
Dilemmas and Challenges
The survey results are released as an increasing number of cities and states have imposed restrictions on the growth of data centers to understand their impacts. As of September 2026, 313 restrictions have been enacted in 44 states and over 200 cities and counties.
Many believe that the growth of data centers should be halted to prevent an explosion in their numbers across the country. Michael Greenstone, who leads the University of Chicago Institute, emphasized that we are conducting a large real-time experiment and environmental changes could have serious consequences.
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