Hi there, argmin readers! Today’s post is a late and brief reaction to a tiny subplot of yesterday’s historic election: the widespread rejection of AI datacenters. It was inspired by an insightful Dan Davies thread on bluesky that I have been unable to get out of my head.
Elections are a muddled measurement of “public opinion,” but they’re probably the only real measurement we get. And with every surprising measurement, a good rational agent must reflect on its beliefs. So what should we passive rational observers make of this historically large swing towards the Democratic Party in yesterday’s vote?
Obviously, this is a major repudiation of Donald Trump, his policies, and the Republican Party. However, you readers probably don’t come here for my political takes, and I don’t want to use this Substack for them anyway. Even if it wasn’t the biggest issue on the ballot, something closer to home is worth pondering. The American people are loud and clear that they hate AI.
