Americans are souring on AI and social media at the same time. In South Florida, that anger already killed a $2.6 billion data center project.
Silicon Valley has long promised its technology would make the world better. A growing share of Americans say they're living through the opposite.
A National Mood Turns on Big Tech
More than half of Americans now say they're more concerned than excited about AI, per Pew Research. That's up from 37% in 2021.
Confidence in AI executives runs even lower. A CNBC Generation Lab survey of 18 to 34 year olds found something stark. More than 75% don't trust Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to act responsibly.
"If this technology takes off in the way that you see the CEOs of AI labs talking about, we're facing a significant impact to our economy," said Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute.
Where the Anger Became a Rejected Project
Nowhere has that anger translated into action faster than Palm Beach County. Commissioners voted to advance a one year moratorium on new data center applications.
Then they rejected Project Tango outright. The $2.6 billion hyperscale facility, planned for Loxahatchee, would have been one of the largest data centers in Florida.
The vote followed hours of public opposition. Developer PBA Holdings can reapply, since the rejection came without prejudice, but the project is dead for now.
South Florida's pushback isn't limited to one county. Residents near a separate proposed data center in Palm Beach's Arden community also pressed commissioners hard. Commissioners postponed that decision too, citing noise and diesel generator emissions.
The Numbers Behind the Mood
Nationally, the pattern is bigger than Florida. The first three months of 2026 alone saw local opposition block or delay 75 data center projects. Those projects were worth $130 billion, according to Brookings.
On July 18, 142 separate protests against data centers were held across 42 states, including seven in Florida.
That backlash has spilled into the tech workforce itself. Amazon engineers testified at a Seattle City Council meeting in June, criticizing the company's use of "dirty energy" at some of its data center sites.
A Second Front: Social Media's Own Reckoning
AI isn't the only target. Meta agreed to pay up to $17 billion this week to settle a landmark case tied to social media's addictive design. It's the last technology wave to draw this kind of public anger.
James Coleman, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, points to a deeper trust problem. "There's not a lot of trust necessarily in the utilities and the regulators," he told CNBC.
What Comes Next for South Florida
Not every official is reading the mood the same way. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week the systems were working as intended. That's even as his own state racks up rejected and delayed projects.
For developers eyeing Florida's next hyperscale project, Palm Beach County's rejection is now a reference point. National anger and local zoning battles have started producing the same outcome.
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