By Arianna Kaplan
Even high school protest movements about artificial intelligence are trying to turn the tide of technology.
Roof of a data center featuring cooling towers and backup generators. Tayssir Kadamany. Pexels.
Tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Apple’s Siri and Anthropic’s Claude have normalized AI to such a degree that avoiding it seems impossible and its widespread usage inevitable. However, the surge in AI use in the past few years comes at a steep cost: environmental impacts, such as massive energy use in data centers and high water consumption for cooling, are just some of the concerns that Gen Z is bringing to the table in a recent anti-AI movement.
The use of generative AI has grown rapidly in the past few years, especially among the group born between 1997 and 2012, known as Gen Z. According to one study by the Pew Research Center, by 2026, 66% of adults ages 18 to 29 had used an AI chatbot. In another study by Gallup, scientists found that Gen Z K-12 students (56%) are more likely than Gen Z adults (48%) to admit that they use AI at least weekly. And it’s not just Gen Z: roughly six in 10 adults under 50, or 63%, use AI chatbots, and about four in 10 adults ages 50 to 64 use the tools.
The sharp increase in AI data centers accelerated around 2024, driven by the demand for large language models. The shift toward massive GPU clusters, high-density power and advanced liquid cooling systems marked a shift toward a society dependent on AI. It also raised concerns that some Gen Z activists refuse to stand for, despite their own marked AI usage.
While Gen Z are among the top users of AI, they’re also the most skeptical about its future impact on their learning, the environment and their community. Over the past year, Gen Z’s feelings toward AI have become more negative. Anxiety about AI among the population is at 42%. Environmental and social concerns have risen too, as more land is used for AI data centers, and a previous “out of sight, out of mind” mentality is no longer an effective way to ignore the skyrocketing growth of artificial intelligence.
One activist battling AI data centers in her hometown of Pittsburg, California, is high school student Sadie Cisneros. Upon learning about the imminent construction of a 300,000-square-foot data center looming over her city, Cisneros was worried about the social and environmental effects of having the data center so close. Cisneros took her objections to a Pittsburg City Council meeting and committed to attending every upcoming City Council meeting to protest the center’s construction.
It’s not just Cisneros. Gen Z may be the most “plugged in,” but they are also some of the loudest voices against generative AI, across a large spectrum of backgrounds and political beliefs.
Indeed, AI has become such a controversial topic that as public pushback against data centers rises, politicians on both sides of the political spectrum are aiming to distance themselves from AI. In key swing states, for example, candidates are rushing to endorse stricter data center policies as voters, including the younger Gen Z voter population, may change what political party they vote for because of the importance of data centers. A Fox News poll conducted in late July 2026 found that 70% of voters oppose the construction of a new data center in their area, and 78% support slowing construction to take into account environmental and community concerns.
The role of Gen Z activism raises the question of whether you can be against the tool while still using it. The verdict seems to be a mixed bag, with some claiming no, while others, such as student Mihir Nimkar, call for stricter AI regulations while still using AI as a study tool in school.
However, despite the sticky question of whether one can use AI sustainably, successful protest movements are often powered by young people, and Gen Z might have the capacity to turn the tide when it comes to the popularity of AI use among peers. The average nonviolent campaign is more than twice as likely to succeed if it has over 50% youth participation, according to the Journal of Democracy.
So, Gen Z has the capacity to make its voice heard the loudest in a counter-AI movement. Already, negative emotions toward AI have intensified over the past year, as has a decline in hopefulness and excitement. Gen Z is questioning AI’s effects on their cognitive skills, academic integrity and the environmental implications of using the tools.
GET INVOLVED
The anti-AI movement is characterized by organizations such as The AI Resist List, which labels the companies leading AI development as “empires” and offers ways to resist AI, acting as a comprehensive database of global anti-AI actionable plans. Educating yourself about the harmful effects of AI is one way to limit your own impact and to better educate those around you on why they should consider doing the same. You can read more about these approaches here. Masoumeh Iran Mansoury and David J. Bailey, in an article published by Bristol University Press, offer reasons why we should resist the "inevitability narrative” that so often goes hand in hand with AI usage.
Arianna Kaplan
Arianna is in her final year at Scripps College, part of The Claremont Colleges in the Los Angeles area. She writes in a variety of genres but most enjoys creative nonfiction and place-rooted narrative. Arianna currently resides in New York, where she won’t rest until she’s walked down every street and peeked into every alley. Writing at Catalyst, along with The Student Life Newspaper and The {C} Magazine, offers a perfect outlet for her zest for life and discovery, and she’s beyond excited to be here. In the future, she plans on pursuing a career in journalism.