So, this all means when you said:

> I've built AI data centers, and I keep trying to educate them, but they just won't listen.

The only real quibble with their lack of knowledge about AI data centers is that they don't understand the water use issue.

We could see that as a minor detail of an overall bigger picture: those left-leaning[1] non-tech friends understand the issue well enough to get by: AI data centers are being fast-tracked, allowed to run loud/nuisance sound profile gas turbines, aren't being powered by clean/renewable energy, are objectively raising energy pricing in many states, and are often built near residential areas with video-documented sound level meter readings showing instances of data centers having violating sound ordinances.

[1] Although they don't really have to be left-leaning since there is relatively strong opposition in from any political angle you choose: https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-ce...

I genuinely do not understand what happened here.

Like.. you came in invalidating the people, then, when called out, you say what is effectively "well their criticism is actually right".

And.. That's that. I guess. Are you sure that you're taking part in the conversation and not just stringing words together based on probabilities?

They had an article about Australia embracing AI data centers to be suppliers of the future and not just customers and one big pull is "the vast amounts of land in Australia" then said that one of them is being built within 100m of the nearest suburban house and 200m of a school.

It seems with all the other battles to fight, that moving it 2km down the road and surrounding it with trees and parkland would knock the noise argument out of the window. At least in the US and Australia that really do have vast amounts of open space.

> Those people need to get their local government to regulate noise from all buildings

I think this is the core of the 'moral panic'. it isn't anti-AI, it's the fact that many AI datacenter builders have been somewhere between surreptitious and intentionally illegal in their avoidance public knowledge of what they are doing, most likely to avoid exactly the regulation you're recommending. As a result, there's now categorical public distrust of both the industry and the local government that has shirked their obligation to the public welfare.

It is reasonable to conclude that you don't act as secretively as these builders have unless you have something to hide.