Some politicians and business leaders are claiming that China is driving the American backlash to data centers.

A Republican lawmaker on Wednesday called for legal action against US nonprofits that he alleged are backed by China to sow opposition to the AI buildout.

Canadian millionaire Kevin O’Leary recently claimed “nefarious accounts” linked to Beijing were behind the pushback to a data center project he’s backing.

But the idea that foreign influence is seeding a populist campaign against AI facilities is far-fetched, experts told Semafor last month, noting that Chinese media is instead likely exploiting existing US divisions over the tech.

The accusations reflect China’s growing role in US tech discourse, as the superpowers’ AI race heats up.