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A new risk for investors: distrust of technology

Technology backlash in the US has begun to squeeze both the growth plans of artificial intelligence companies and investment in data centers. Meta’s decision this week to accept a settlement worth as much as $17 billion over its social media apps, along with concerns about the risks surrounding potential IPOs for OpenAI and Anthropic, has put the cost of regulation back at the center of the debate.

At a time when stubborn inflation has pushed consumer confidence to its lowest level in seven months, public opinion surveys also suggest the trust problem is deepening. Data from the Pew Research Center show that more than half of Americans are more worried than excited about AI becoming widespread in daily life, up from 37% in 2021. In a CNBC Generation Lab survey, more than 75% of people aged 18 to 34 said they did not trust Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, while about 70% expressed similar views about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The cost of delays in data centers is rising

The giant facilities built to train and run AI models have become the most visible target of industry resentment. According to a Data Center Watch report, local objections blocked or delayed data center projects worth about $130 billion in the first quarter of this year. That means nearly $156 billion in planned facility value disrupted in all of 2025 was reached in just three months.

  • Water use and higher emissions
  • Rising power bills and noise pollution
  • Concerns about farmland being converted into facilities

Local opposition is stretching company timelines

Groups calling for a national moratorium on new projects say hundreds of people have turned out at meetings in states including Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania to oppose the investments. The pushback is not coming only from outside. Amazon engineers also urged stronger public oversight at the Seattle City Council, criticizing the use of dirty energy at some sites. Still, some unions support data centers because of the jobs created during construction and the demand for work in power and cooling systems.

Election timing and regulatory pressure are increasing the market impact

With the midterm elections two months away, data centers have become one of the key issues in Democratic and Republican campaigns. That backdrop is pushing investors to focus especially on regulatory and social acceptance risks in the planned landmark IPOs of Anthropic and OpenAI, which are said to be valued at around $1 trillion. While the companies continue to point to uses such as medical research and precision agriculture, the trust crisis is increasingly dominating the market debate.

Surveillance technology is being caught in the same wave

Backlash against technology companies has also reached Flock Safety’s AI-powered license plate systems. According to advocacy groups, more than 90 cities have rejected, suspended or canceled agreements with the company so far this year. Meta’s settlement also included changes such as a default two-hour daily limit for young users, muted notifications during school hours and stronger parental controls, underscoring how regulatory pressure can have direct effects on product design and revenue models.

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