The Data Center Revolt: John Cassidy & Faiz Shakir on People vs. AI Oligarchs [Full Uncut Conversation]

Synopsis:  Only 17% of Americans think AI will have a positive impact over the next 20 years: Hear from labor-focused news platform More Perfect Union's Founder Faiz Shakir and NYer staff writer John Cassidy on who gets to decide how human and natural resources are distributed in the age of AI capitalism.

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Description:  An AI revolution is underway, but so is the resistance. People across the country are feeling the strain of the huge energy-sucking data processing centers that AI requires, and telling their elected officials to slow down or stop new big tech projects for firms like OpenAI, Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft. Data from a 2025 Pew study shows that only 17 percent of Americans think AI will have a positive impact over the next 20 years. But it’s a David vs. Goliath battle. Today’s guests say AI expansion is not a red or blue issue; it’s about who gets to decide how human and natural resources are distributed, who controls the technology, and who stands to benefit. Faiz Shakir is the Founder and Executive Director of the labor-focused news platform More Perfect Union, and serves as a political advisor for Senator Bernie Sanders. John Cassidy, staff writer at the New Yorker, is the author of the recent book, “Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI”, in which he draws our attention back to the Luddites, the 18th century workers whose revolt deserves our closer attention. Plus, our correspondent’s coverage of a shocking scene at a public comment meeting in Wisconsin when a local woman was arrested and dragged away. If AI is the new face of capitalism, what is the new alternative?

“Luddites, when I was growing up, was a term of abuse. It was people who were sort of antediluvians and didn't understand the modern world. . . . They understood the modern world as it was in their times perfectly, and they saw it was moving against them, and they saw that the political system wasn't coming to their defense.” - John Cassidy

“. . . There's more and more pushback, which hopefully portends the possibility that a lot of these communities can strike better deals if they are going to have data centers. There's no reason why we can't be asking that the teachers are well paid, that the electricity rates don't go up, that we have decent affordable housing in those communities. That is all possible because we're playing with incredible amounts of dollars and deep-pocketed people . . . ” - Faiz Shakir

Guests:

•  John Cassidy: Staff Writer, The New Yorker; Author, Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI

•  Faiz Shakir: Founder & Executive Director, More Perfect Union; Political Advisor & Former Campaign Manager, Senator Bernie Sanders

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Full Episode Notes are located HERE.

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Music Credit:  'Thrum of Soil' by Bluedot Sessions, 'Steppin' by Podington Bear, and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper

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RESOURCES:

*Recommended book:

“Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI” by John Cassidy: *Get the Book

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Featured Clip Credit: America’s Dataland?  1st Amendment Under Attack:  There women arrested, produced by Johnathan Klett - Watch the full video

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Related Articles and Resources:

• Small Towns Are Rising Up Against AI Data Centers, “We don’t want to be the next Data Center Alley,” by Joe Wilkins, May 4, 2025, Futurism

• The AI Backlash Keeps Growing Stronger, by Reece Rogers, June 28, 2025, WIRED

•  The Dangers of AI and Extreme Wealth Inequality, by David Atkins, January 5, 2026, Washington Monthly

• At least four Wisconsin communities signed secrecy deals for billion-dollar data centers, by Tom Kertscher, January 26, 2026, Wisconsin Watch

• Anti-data center protesters arrested during Port Washington meeting, by Claudia Levens, Jessie Opoien and Francesca Pica, December 3, 2025, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

•  How Sam Altman Outfoxed Elon Musk to Become Trump’s AI Buddy, by Keach Hagey, Dana Mattionili and Josh Dawsey, July 17, 2025, The Wall Street Journal

•  Curtis Yarvin’s brave new world: we need a corporate dictatorship to replace a dying democracy’ by Boris Munoz, August 19, 2005, El Pais

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