OpenAI looks to make data centers more palatable - Semafor

OpenAI said Thursday it would avoid nondisclosure agreements in data center deals and ensure facilities don’t raise energy costs for residents, as tech scrambles to render the AI buildout more palatable to the public.

The policies are part of OpenAI’s attempts to set a new tone for AI policy discourse, including by rebranding data centers as “compute campuses” and seeking more community input, helping spawn a lucrative job market for “data-center liaisons.”

AI safety advocates appear skeptical about the outreach, which comes amid rising global backlash: US voters opted to check data center construction nearly everywhere it appeared on the ballot this week, and anti-data center protests are planned for this weekend in Australia and several European countries.