this post was submitted on 22 May 2026
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AI, in this case, refers to LLMs, GPT technology, and anything listed as "AI" meant to increase market valuations.
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The power of laws depends on the consent of the governed. If most people comply, law enforcement can keep the rest in check.
Protests against unfair laws need to be backed by popular support. There may be many people who disagree with a policy, but don't actively resist: They're worried they'll stand alone, tell themselves it's not that bad or simply arent passionate enough about it. But if a movement manages to recruit enough people, prove tenacious and create the impression that they're not going away any time soon, lawmakers and -enforcement will eventually have to make concessions.
For that recruitment, the protests need to be precise in their disruption and unambiguous in their message. The people gluing themselves to roads for example fail to actually target the oil industry and instead obstruct people that just want to get to work. The people protesting segregation by peacefully sitting somewhere they're not supposed to had more success because they didn't actually cause enough damage to warrant the violent response, which motivated more people to participate (and to some degree vindicated groups willing to use non-peaceful means).
In that vein, protests should target the immediately visible damaging parts of the data centers: Disrupt their water and power supply. Protests against abstract social effects are harder to see the connection of (though they could supplement the directly visible ones).
Protests don't need to be legal, if there is no legal recourse available, to be effective. They just need to be well-thought-out and -coordinated. (Do be safe about it, don't plan them openly and all that)