A conservative grassroots movement advocating against the construction of artificial intelligence data centers has drawn support from individuals affiliated with the Green Party and Democratic causes. The group, known as Humans First, aims to rally conservatives against the expansion of data centers, a key economic priority for former President Donald Trump.
While Amy Kremer, chair of Humans First and a prominent Tea Party activist, is the public face of the organization, incorporation records indicate that initial staff members and seed funding came from the Center for AI Safety, a San Francisco-based nonprofit. The organization states that the protests it promotes have not necessarily been fully vetted or endorsed by Humans First.
Several local organizers listed on the Humans First website as planning protests have backgrounds in left-of-center politics. For example, the Illinois Green Party was listed as an organizer for a protest near Chicago. Alexandria Keating-Sofiakis, a transgender activist and congressional candidate affiliated with the Illinois Green Party, organized a separate protest. Keating-Sofiakis noted that opposition to data centers transcends traditional ideological boundaries, citing conservative concerns over property values and increased utility costs, and progressive concerns about environmental damage.
Humans First has defended its conservative credentials, with Kremer emphasizing her history as a Tea Party founder and an early Trump supporter. The group’s website lists staff members who have primarily worked in conservative politics. Kremer has criticized what she calls "big tech and big AI billionaires" for working to undermine the conservative movement.
Fox News Digital documented five Humans First protests across California, Georgia, Missouri, and South Carolina. Demonstrators at a protest in Gilroy, California, carried signs opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In Georgia, an activist group called People for Progress, founded after the 2024 election to resist Trump's agenda and protect "diversity, equity & justice," was listed as an organizer for a local demonstration.
A press release from a protest outside St. Louis, Missouri, indicated that speakers included a former Democratic state lawmaker, a current Democratic candidate, and a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Lady Huston, an organizer with the Ferguson Advocates for Civic Transparency (FACT), one of the left-leaning groups involved, stated that opposition to data centers is a nonpartisan issue, even aligning with statements made by Republican Senator Josh Hawley.
In Michigan, Mitchell Distin, a Democratic candidate for the state House, was listed as an organizer for a protest, though that demonstration was later removed from the Humans First webpage. Distin stated that the data center issue is not a left-right issue but one that transcends party boundaries, suggesting that ordinary Americans have more in common than they realize.
Not all organizers involved are liberal. Cathy Latham, a longtime Georgia GOP official and a staffer with Humans First, organized a protest in Waco, Texas. Latham is one of the defendants in Georgia's 2020 election-interference case.
Humans First claimed to have organized 142 protests across 42 states following events on July 18. Kremer has voiced strong opposition to the lobbying efforts of AI companies, stating, "I’m not for sale."