On Monday, investor and television personality Kevin O'Leary said that a months-long investigation by his team uncovered a coordinated online campaign targeting energy infrastructure and AI data center projects across North America.
AI Data Center Backlash Triggered Investigation Speaking in a video, O'Leary said his team began investigating after noticing a sudden surge in social media activity related to a Utah data center project on May 4.
According to O'Leary, his staff detected an unusual spike in direct messages and posts across X and Instagram, with activity increasing by "tens of thousands of percent." He said initial reviews suggested the presence of automated bot accounts and coordinated messaging originating both inside and outside the U.S.
"We realized… There [are] bots operating here," O'Leary said.
"There are nefarious accounts out of the country dumping stuff that's completely false about Utah." Kevin O'Leary Alleges IRS Filings Revealed Funding Networks O'Leary said he hired an "advanced data science team" to analyze IP addresses, online activity and public nonprofit filings, including IRS 990 documents.
