Since the beginning of the year, law enforcement in the United States has detained at least 37 individuals participating in protests against the construction of AI data centers, as reported by Futurism. Local residents are opposing these projects due to concerns over strain on power grids, water consumption, pollution, and tax incentives for operators. Many of the arrests occurred during public hearings; for instance, a physics teacher from Kansas was taken into custody for continuing to applaud during a zoning meeting, while a resident of Oklahoma was arrested for exceeding a three-minute speaking limit. In July, the organization Humans First conducted 142 protests across 42 states.