Billionaire Mark Cuban tried to give the AI industry some advice this week on how to win the public relations war over data centers. “It’s time for everyone to realize that the fight against data centers has nothing to do with data centers,” Cuban posted Thursday on X. “They have become a proxy for the hate towards AI and the concentration and accumulation of wealth it’s creating.” Cuban argued that tech companies should go on tours in towns and cities affected by AI-related job losses. He also said they should meet with creative unions in Los Angeles and New York City and ask artists what they can do to help. Essentially, he chalked up the backlash against data centers to bad PR that could be smoothed over with a little ass-kissing, as he put it. That message did not go over well online. “I used to admire you,” wrote one X user in response. “The stupidity of the first two sentences in this post is distressing. People hate AI data centers because residents are tortured by constant whining noise and light pollution. They are left w[ith] losses on the equity built over a lifetime in their homes.”
The user said jealousy of the rich had nothing to do with people’s hatred for data centers. “Adorable. The ‘good’ billionaire says the problem isn’t the data centers; it’s the PR,” wrote another user. “He goes on to give advice about how to psyop the poors into putting up with it while they shove it down our throats anyway.”
