The American dream of sovereign artificial intelligence clashes with the right to private property. In the United States, the government is resorting to eminent domain to force landowners to sell their property to make way for the power transmission infrastructure needed by new AI data centers. According to a recent poll, seven out of ten Americans do not want a data center built in their neighborhood, but energy companies and tech giants are pressing to expand capacity.
Eminent domain as a last resort for data center power lines
Power utilities tasked with building high-voltage transmission lines for data centers often face refusal from private landowners. In response, they ask the government to exercise its power of eminent domain, a measure traditionally reserved for critical infrastructure such as highways, railroads, and defense installations. The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires "just compensation," usually based on fair market value, but many owners dispute the adequacy of the offer and the use of the tool for private gain.
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A parallel with the Cold War: Trump invokes national security for AI
President Donald Trump has compared the AI race to the construction of Minuteman missile silos during the Cold War, arguing that AI development is crucial for national and economic security. This patriotic tone is used to justify eminent domain, but critics point out that data centers primarily serve private companies like Meta and Google, not the state directly. The Meta Hyperion campus in Louisiana, for example, will consume three times the electricity of the entire city of New Orleans, raising doubts about the true public need.
Georgia and Maryland lead resistance
Some states are using eminent domain more aggressively. In Georgia, residents have been forced to sell their land for the Georgia Power transmission expansion project, which will mainly benefit data centers. In Maryland, landowners have started erecting signs reading "No eminent domain for corporate gain." The protest is taking on the tone of a people-versus-government struggle: many Americans see AI companies getting rich without bringing tangible benefits to the working class. Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed an AI sovereign wealth fund that would force AI companies to give up 50% of their stock to fund projects that benefit Americans.
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Data centers consume 20% of U.S. electricity and demand is growing
In 2024, data centers accounted for between 10% and 20% of U.S. electricity consumption, a percentage that is rapidly increasing. New facilities require enormous amounts of energy, necessitating dedicated power lines that often cross private property. The use of eminent domain thus becomes a lever to bypass local opposition. However, according to a Fortune investigation, 70% of Americans are opposed to construction in their vicinity, mainly for environmental reasons and reduced quality of life. To delve deeper into surveillance and civil rights issues, read the article ACLU Launches Legal Toolkit to Expose Police Surveillance Technologies.
To understand how AI is reshaping coding, check out Beyond grep: the new paradigm for context-rich AI coding harnesses. For a global perspective on the AI race between China and the U.S., see China Surpasses the West in AI: for Italian SMEs it's a wake-up call.
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On a positive note, some projects aim to offset the impact. For example, Netflix has introduced ASL interpretations for children on 73 titles, an inclusion initiative that shows how technology can also serve the community. Read the full article: Netflix brings ASL interpretations to 73 kids' shows and movies.
The debate over eminent domain for data centers touches on deep issues: the boundary between public interest and private profit, property rights, and the speed of innovation. With AI set to consume ever more resources, tension between companies, government, and citizens is likely to increase.
