Chat GPT Is Eating the World

Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law New York’s 1-year ban on the building of new large data centers often behind the training and powering of AI models.

New York is the first state to do so. But others likely to follow.

Public backlash against data centers have become a hot button issue.

But the New York Times reported that “China, Russia, and Iran have sought to exploit the U.S. public debate over the effects of the technology.” That’s when you know the controversy is really big. The foreign states fan the flames.

@reuters

New York became the first U.S. state to halt construction of large new data centers, imposing a ‌one-year moratorium as concerns grow that the facilities driving the AI boom are raising power costs, straining water supplies and burdening local communities. Governor Kathy Hochul said she will also pursue legislation to repeal sales-tax exemptions for large data centers. #datecenter #ai #artificialintelligence #newyork #tech

♬ original sound – Reuters – Reuters

New York becomes the first state to impose a data center moratorium https://t.co/Ywges5SmGn https://t.co/Ywges5SmGn

— Reuters (@Reuters) July 14, 2026

“As data center development threatens to ⁠hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it’s my responsibility to take action and lead,” ​

Gov. Kathy Hochul

The controversy over data centers has eclipsed the 100-plus copyright lawsuits against AI companies, in terms of galvanizing grass-roots public backlash.

No surprise. The hum of a data center to surrounding homes is more triggering than unlicensed data files used to train AI models.