There is a weird sense of entitlement that AI data centers should be allowed to get built anywhere, but I don't think the positive case has been made that it's actually that much of a net positive in many locations. The US is massive and if AI data centers are such a positive boon then it should be easy to find a place where they're actually welcome. Unlike traditional data centers where latency might be relevant, most AI data centers aren't latency sensitive so the default plan should be to build them far from major population centers. Just buy up a massive chunk of empty land in the middle of nowhere and drop all the data centers there.

There is some misinformation around resource usage, but most data center constructions aren't being fully candid and transparent with their expected resource usage either. I think the key issue is that many major constructions haven't built any trust with local communities nor have they listened to people's concerns, but they feel entitled to force through their projects anyway.

If you think that these AI data centers are great and incredibly beneficial, go advocate for your local government to bring construction to wherever it is that you live. Let people sort themselves out based on their interests.