Are data centers bad for the towns they're built in? We put it on trial and asked 6 AI models to rule: ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, Perplexity, Qwen and Claude. Then we flipped the order of the evidence and asked again.

On September 4, Thai authorities stopped construction on 49 data centers. New York froze new construction of the big ones for a year. Texas paused its approvals. So we put the question on trial. Marla ran the prosecution. Bridget ran the defense. Neither of us gave an opinion. We built one agreed record of 51 sourced facts, handed it to six AI models, and asked each one for a verdict and a confidence score.

All six said not proven. Then we flipped the order of the evidence and asked again. All six held. Twelve rulings, twelve not provens, with confidence between 34 and 47. Every judge named the same thing that would change its mind: a long term study of real host towns that tracks bills, health, water and home values.

What the 6 AI judges said (File A, prosecution first, then File B, defense first):
ChatGPT: not proven, 43, then 44
Grok: not proven, 38, then 38
Gemini: not proven, 42, then 42
Perplexity: not proven, 47, then 47
Qwen: not proven, 45, then 45
Claude: not proven, 34, then 35

The full case file, with every source and verdict: https://leverageandlead.com/ep/are-data-centers-bad

Build My Free Business Brain: https://url.developlikeagirl.com/?utm_source=spotify

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKIKsgwlSKE

Chapters
00:00 Why data centers are on trial
02:50 What a data center actually is
08:35 Prosecution: Wes Moore, the water NDA
11:12 Prosecution: Louisville, Virginia noise
15:10 Defense: Richland Parish, Kevin O'Leary
19:15 How we built the case file
22:00 Round one: six AI judges rule
31:14 Round two: we flipped the evidence
36:49 We asked ChatGPT out loud
39:29 We asked Grok out loud
43:25 The people living next door
51:14 What it sounds like to live near one
57:58 Prize wheel

Clips played in this episode
What it is
What data centers actually do, Morning Brew: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MpQsANnmdn8
Prosecution
Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland (0:00 to 0:42), Governor Wes Moore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T4ZwkFP68g
Jason Critchlow, Portage Township Trustee, Indiana (5:43 to 7:11), WNDU 16 News Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC-3KBBZvNk&t=343s
The sound of a data center, Louisville, Dean Abrams for Governor: https://www.facebook.com/61591304616617/videos/2056853641639695/
Neighbors of the Vantage data center, Sterling, Virginia, NewsNation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtXD4EFOsCg
Defense
Richland Parish, Louisiana, and Meta's data center (from 1:52), All-In Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp2IbgJ5Z-8&t=112s
Kevin O'Leary, Only 2 Places Work for AI Data Centers, Kevin O'Leary: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/X9nAX5SnzDg
After the verdicts
Rep. Cody Thane Vasut, Texas, on property rights, Citizens For Responsible Growth in Leon County: https://www.facebook.com/reel/28287219834195254/
The data center backlash is here, The Real Deal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBVI3NjjMjQ
This is what it sounds like to live near a data center, Granbury, Texas, NBC News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVh2jkuGYps
AI data center backlash in the US, including the Kentucky farm family, DW News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edron7EKhxA