A coordinated bot network operating from China has been identified by X as targeting U.S. debates over artificial intelligence data centers.
The investigation revealed a bot farm comprising approximately 200,000 accounts, within which 200 accounts were actively posting content designed to manipulate legitimate discussions about American AI and energy policy. These posts claimed that AI data centers are driving up household electricity prices and straining the electrical grid, and included AI-generated cartoons depicting data-center operators enriching themselves at the public’s expense.
The campaign was described by X as highly coordinated and operating on a scale difficult to comprehend. One example shared by X showed an AI-generated comic strip titled “DATA CENTERS GET SUBSIDIZED WHILE WE FOOT THE BILL!”—crafted to appear as if it were shared by a regular user on Facebook.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently noted that citizen concerns about hyperscale data centers are rooted in distrust of major technology companies and their designs for expanding technological influence. New York has become the first state to freeze new AI data center construction, and protests have emerged from Florida to the heartland of the country.
President Trump has long advocated for the expansion of AI data centers, stating on Truth Social that “the radical left Democrats must not be allowed to cause us to lose Data Centers, AI, and all of this incredible new Technology, to China and other countries.” Rep. Michael Rulli of Ohio similarly warned: “China’s going to win this war.”
