The AI industry is pouring hundreds of millions into US elections

So this week, first up, Township leaders in Michigan take on a proposed nuclear AI data center.

The board of the Ypsilanti Township has vowed to fight to our very last breath, quote, against an AI data center project by the University of Michigan and nuclear scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

So 404 Media reports that, quote, if built, the data center will, among other things, run simulations to help America build nuclear weapons, end quote.

Now, the blowback comes not just from the audacity of this proposal, but also in the wake of another groundbreaking ceremony for another major data center that has began construction in Michigan today.

Now, a photo from this groundbreaking showing Sam Altman, Oracle CEO Clay McGorick, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was projected onto the wall.

And so during this groundbreaking, Whitmer was caught on a hot mic telling Oracle CEO in reference to the backlash against data centers in general, quote, we're used to people saying fuck no and doing it anyway.

The people of Ypsilanti have not taken this kindly.

Having to stare at this picture during this meeting has my blood boiling.

The waste of space, the complete lack of regard for humans and animals, and for what? And these diabolical morons up here.

The backlash has become so pronounced that Jill Warren, a wife of a local Methodist pastor, has suggested that residents brush up on OSS's simple sabotage field manual, saying, quote,

Slow things down bureaucratically.

Make sure we block where we can.

Use very slow agendas and response times.

And do within your power the work that you are entitled by law to do.

This kind of backlash, of course, has become routine in cities and regions across the country and indeed the world.

And we should expect to see similarly pointed objections, especially to notably controversial projects like those proposed to carry out simulations in service of building nuclear weapons.

should the expansion continue apace.

AI's incursion into the arts remains a heated and contentious affair, with executives cutting deals to automate artistic production on one end of the spectrum, and artist-creatives and illustrators fighting back on the other.

This week, the beloved indie studio A24 announced it was cutting a $75 million deal with Google.

Google would invest $75 million to provide AI tools to A24 in order to, quote, "...help artists develop new workflows and techniques." A24 says that, quote, the new tools won't look anything like the prompted generation type of AI that people feel uncomfortable with.

And yet, one early project already underway at A24 involves using AI to generate storyboards.

Obviously, fans and artists are up in arms.

One look at Twitter and you will find a resounding backlash.

Let me just read a couple tweets here.

There goes A24.