In your opinion, which of the following should be prioritized?

Gaining a global edge in AI development (15%) – "The choice is simple. If we don't maintain AI superiority (and quantum superiority), unfriendly countries will gain not just an economic advantage but also a military one. That brings an end to our freedoms. I'm willing to cut back on my own electric use to keep my utility bill manageable for something like that. And it is extremely likely that AI and quantum superiority will also design new, lower power, higher performing consumer electronics - a win-win."

• "The problem with power shortage is government shutting down power plants. Not data centers. Open back up and convert to gas so we have plenty of power. Its all our own fault."

Ensuring data centers don’t raise local power prices (78%) – "I have no problem with the AI taking a share of the power, but they need to pay for the portion of power that they use; otherwise, they would be stealing from those paying for their power instead of the users of that power."

• "There’s not just a financial cost to these data centers. I’m concerned that the strain on the power grids will be too much, and families’ necessities should be the priority. Also, this isn’t even beginning to cover the significant environmental impact that AI data centers can have on local communities."

"Although I realize many, many people have already begun to use AI in their day-to-day lives, there are still those of us who don’t want to use AI at all. I am still avoiding it everywhere I can because of the environmental impact it is having. If aa AI company can truly bear the entire cost of operation and electricity, and replenish or find ways to avoid using valuable water resources, then I might consider it. But until that is a reality, I think we need to prioritize the earth’s limited resources, and understand that not everyone can afford for their electric bill to skyrocket for something they will never use."

• "I believe people should be the priority, not the businesses. While it can be said that the push for new data centers is for a competitive edge over global adversarial nations, in reality it's more likely to line the pockets of executives."

"I live in an area that has been significantly impacted by data centers. In NJ, our electricity costs are through the roof. What used to cost $300 a month during the summer is now $700-$800. The costs are insane. Add that to the property taxes and housing costs, and NJ is completely inaccessible to most people. Why the data centers aren't being made to remediate this is dumbfounding. Why do we have to pay the costs for a company that is raking in the money?"

• "I’ve spent a 45-year professional career working in IT and living in data centers. I appreciate the need for AI development. But, the companies building and running these data centers should bear the financial burden and provide their own resources (power and water). The average household/consumer should not be affected."

"It is not just the distribution side of electricity that the AI centers are affecting. They are affecting costs at the power grid level that everyone will pay for. The increased size and amounts of transmission line being built to carry all that electricity through the grid is extremely expensive. Those costs are passed directly to the generation & transmission providers who then pass it to the distribution level. They may pay for all the electrical infrastructure that their existence requires on site, but are they going to pay their share of the costs all the way up to the power grid level?"

Unsure/other (7%) – "We can do both — it just requires regulations that force the companies profiting off the AI output to pay for the power they need to produce it."