AI Backlash: Protests & Fight Against Big Tech’s AI Dominance
A coalition of activists halted construction on a $30 billion data center project in Prince William County, Virginia, on Wednesday, marking the latest escalation in a nationwide campaign to slow the rapid expansion of infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence. The protest, organized by a network of environmental and community groups, stalled work on the facility intended to power OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise, recently made available to all federal agencies for as little as $1 per agency, according to the U.S. General Services Administration .
The Virginia protest follows a trend documented by Data Center Watch, which found that activists stalled $98 billion in data-center projects across the country during the second quarter of 2025 alone. Opposition centers on concerns about water usage, energy consumption, and the broader societal impact of increasingly powerful AI systems. “Every day I hear from someone with a different reason for fighting a data center,” said Saul Levin, a D.C.-based organizer, reflecting the diverse motivations driving the movement.
The protests are unfolding against a backdrop of significant investment and policy shifts aimed at bolstering the United States’ position in the global AI race. President Donald Trump has championed a $500 billion public-private partnership involving OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank to build AI infrastructure, reversing guardrails implemented by his predecessor, Joe Biden . This initiative, dubbed “Stargate” by some, has drawn support from tech leaders like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, despite his earlier criticisms of Trump.
Altman’s embrace of the Trump administration represents a notable reversal. In 2016, he likened Trump to Hitler, and subsequently donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic causes, including a $200,000 contribution to support President Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign . Speaking at the White House in January 2025, Altman stated that the “Stargate” initiative “wouldn’t be able to do this without you, Mr. President,” signaling a strategic alignment with the administration’s AI agenda.
The administration’s push for AI dominance extends beyond infrastructure investment. The GSA partnership with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to the federal workforce, at a minimal cost, is intended to streamline productivity and address potential waste, fraud, and abuse, according to GSA Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum. This move aligns with a broader effort to modernize federal procurement processes under the Trump administration.
Twenty-four AI-centered companies have formally joined the US federal government’s Genesis Mission, a program designed to accelerate AI development, according to a White House announcement . The list of participants includes industry giants such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Nvidia.
Despite the enthusiasm from the administration and tech companies, concerns persist about the ethical and societal implications of rapidly advancing AI. The protests against data centers are a visible manifestation of this unease, and activists show no signs of relenting. Prince William County officials have not yet announced a timeline for resuming construction, leaving the future of the $30 billion project – and the broader AI infrastructure buildout – uncertain.