Why the tech industry can't keep up with the AI backlash

The piece frames the AI industry's problem as a race it is currently losing: public resentment over data centers, layoffs and rising costs is compounding faster than any of the mitigation efforts labs and hyperscalers have rolled out. That matters because it reframes AI backlash from a PR annoyance into a genuine business risk, one that could show up as zoning fights, regulation or a political backlash long before the technology itself matures. The argument is a useful corrective to the industry's habit of treating public opinion as a problem to manage rather than a constraint to actually solve.