Data centers have gone from a niche policy issue to one of the most controversial topics of the midterm elections. Fewer than 30% of Americans support a data center being built in their community, and the reason why is simple: the industry forgot about consumers.

Data centers didn’t suddenly appear with artificial intelligence. They have long powered the internet, cloud computing, streaming, online shopping, banking, and countless other services Americans use every day. But the emergence of AI changed their scale and visibility. Companies began proposing larger facilities with new demands for electricity, water and space, often in communities where residents had little idea what was coming until the project was already well underway.

The industry had plenty to say about investment, innovation and America’s race to lead the world in AI. All true and all important, but it did so in a way that alienated the average person with jargon, tech-talk, and a “trust me” approach.

Read Will Hild’s full op-ed, Data centers forgot the consumer – and that could cost America the AI race, at Fox News.