- AI data centers are falsely promoted as economic saviors for rural towns, but they create few long-term jobs and often rely on out-of-area contractors.
- Claims that data centers attract innovative businesses due to lower latency are misleading, with minimal real-world impact on AI service quality or local entrepreneurship.
- Water consumption by data centers is downplayed by comparing it to other uses like golf courses, ignoring severe local strains in drought-prone areas.
- Corporate-backed think tanks, like the Progressive Policy Institute, spread pro-industry narratives under a veneer of objectivity, masking their lack of genuine expertise.