AI DATA CENTERS ARE A FEMINIST ISSUE
The AI data center buildout is a feminist issue. It is a story about who gets water, electricity, safety, jobs, political power, and public resources in the next American economy, and women are paying the price at every stage.
From rising utility bills and water strain, to trafficking around massive construction sites, to the elimination of jobs disproportionately held by women, to the explosion of AI-generated abuse targeting girls online, the harms are already here.
At the same time, the wealth and political power generated by this infrastructure is concentrated in the hands of the same men funding the authoritarian and misogynistic movements feminists are already fighting.
1-5 million
Gallons of water per data center, per day*
*EPA / EESI
Up to 9%
Of all U.S. electricity projected for data centers by 2030*
*DOE / EPRI, 2024
300 MILLION
Jobs AI will displace or transform globally this decade*
*Goldman Sachs
96%
Of deepfake videos target women non-consensually*
*Sensity AI, 2019
A data center is going up in somebody's neighborhood right now. We will make sure that the women who live there get a vote in what happens next.
UTILITY COSTS
Residential bills rise by hundreds of dollars annually to subsidize the buildout. Energy poverty falls hardest on single mothers and women on fixed incomes.
Job displacement
Women hold 92% of admin assistant jobs and 70% of customer service roles — the most AI-exposed occupations. The replacement jobs don't go to them.
Trafficking
Massive construction sites in rural areas draw transient workforces — the same conditions driving trafficking surges in oil boomtowns. Local women and girls pay the price.
Hidden labor
AI models are trained by women in the Global South, paid $1–2/hour to review abusive content. The frictionless product is built on their psychological injury.
No one is coming to save us.
It’s up to us.
Stay informed
Join our mailing list and stay informed.
Join our community
Get organizing support, local actions, and updates on data center fights near you.