A new Politico poll on how Americans feel about data centers spells some iffy, not-so-good news for the Trump administration and pro-AI tech boosters who want to keep pushing forward with...

the country’s massive, and potentially transformative, AI buildout.

The poll, published Tuesday, surveyed 2,093 adults between Jan. 16 and Jan. 19, and has an overall margin of error of +/- 2 points. The biggest findings are that Americans are willing to pay for it, but not pay more than the cost of a subscription service; Americans are concerned about the increasing costs of electricity, but also think there are clear benefits, such as having data stored in the U.S. and job creation; and that few Americans would actually want to live next door to a data center. (RELATED: Doctor Points Out Unnoticed Health Danger Coming From Our New-Age Industrial Centers: Light Pollution)

Support for a data center dropped significantly as the projected cost to monthly energy bills increased, Politico found. A $10 increase slashed support in half. If the cost spike reached an additional $25, support among likely backers fell to 39%. If the cost jumped by $50, overall opposition increased to nearly 60%.

Americans see downsides, though electricity costs and the risk of blackouts ranks higher than AI taking jobs or data centers damaging the environment:

And they see the upsides, namely job creation and data storage in the U.S.:

The poll also found that Americans would rather live next to a train station, a delivery warehouse, a road or a highway than a data center. Data centers rank just above a powerplant, and above airports.

When Politico tied the data center buildout to President Trump’s administration, Democrats and undecideds soured on the idea, even though they were more enthusiastic without the mention of Trump:

Americans are not exactly dead set on how they feel about data centers: 39% of respondents said they could change their view, though they don’t expect to do so, and 30% said they could easily flip depending on new information.

For those techies who are pro-AI, this poll isn’t great news. Although Americans won’t be storming the data centers with torches and pitchforks anytime soon, their opinions on it are very fluid, hinging on who is on office. If Kamala Harris were president and embraced a similar pro-AI policy as Trump, favoring deregulation, a majority of Democrats would probably support it, while Republicans would oppose. So, for all the tech companies that are very cozy with the Trump administration and have bent over backward to win the support of MAGA, they might completely reverse course and ingratiate themselves with a potential Democrat-controlled Congress in 2026, or a Democratic administration in 2028, if they want to keep the project alive.

Because such a large, national, potentially transformative project requires large national support, it requires the branches of government marching in lockstep for a long time, longer than an election cycle or two. If enough Americans sour on AI, and politicians respond to those feelings, then the plug might get pulled. The Trump administration could end up in a scenario not unlike that of President Joe Biden, whose administration attempted to transform the American auto industry. As Trump did in his first year, reversing Biden’s electric vehicle mandates, a Democrat could swoop in 2028 and reverse Trump’s pro-AI policies and executive orders.