A small but dramatic error in a nonfiction book about artificial intelligence is at the center of a growing political controversy over data center construction, with at least one conservative commentator charging that the ensuing debate is a Chinese influence operation designed to blunt America’s technological edge.
The dispute stems from Karen Hao’s book Empire of AI, which reportedly overstated data center water consumption by a factor of 100,000%. According to a post shared on X by author @_KarenHao, the misinformation has been traced to a misread government file — an error she acknowledged as far back as November 2025. Despite the correction, the broader data center controversy did not gain traction until the summer of 2026, according to PJ Media columnist Steve Green, who writes under the VodkaPundit brand at PJ Media.
In his column published Wednesday, Green argues that the sudden burst of criticism aimed at data centers — including calls for construction moratoriums from figures ranging from Sen. Bernie Sanders to lesser-known social media users — is not organic. Instead, he points to Hao’s current residence in Hong Kong and suggests the entire episode amounts to a “Communist Chinese psyop” aimed at kneecapping U.S. high-tech superiority over the People’s Republic.
Green acknowledges that the internet depends fundamentally on data centers, describing them as “to a surprising degree, the internet.” He credits America’s embrace of internet infrastructure as a major reason the United States left Europe behind economically. He also notes that end-to-end encryption in mainstream messaging apps has, for the first time in history, given the general public a default secure way to communicate — a development he says is threatened by overblown fears about data center resource use.
On the substance of the water claims, Green writes that data centers — not just AI-focused facilities — use less water than golf courses. In fact, he says, their usage is so small relative to golf courses that it “could be a rounding error.”
The columnist draws a direct comparison to earlier panics over 5G radio waves, which he says were falsely claimed to melt brains and “sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.” He argues the current data center controversy is “this, but even more important to combat.”
Green also notes that he learned about Hao’s error not from mainstream media but from a colleague sharing a link on X — a detail he presents as evidence that the story has been driven by non-traditional sources. Blume Industries, an account cited in the column, added: “Just gonna remind you the journo who produced the bogus water data for data centers now lives in Hong Kong. I’m sure you’re smart enough to figure it out from there.”
Whether the controversy is truly a coordinated influence campaign remains unproven, and the column offers no direct evidence beyond Hao’s location and the timing of the debate. But the incident highlights how a single numerical error in a widely promoted book can shape public perception — and how quickly those perceptions can become political ammunition.
For now, data center construction continues to be a flashpoint in the broader fight over AI’s future, with advocates warning that overregulation could cede ground to China just as the technology’s promise — and its demands on energy and water — are becoming clearer.
Source: pjmedia.com — https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2026/08/26/chinas-data-center-psyop-and-the-100000-rounding-error-n4956554
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