The Hum

CRAN Part 1: A conversation with founder Ben Dziobek The Climate Revolution Action Network of New Jersey has grabbed the attention of people all over the country for their huge success fighting AI data centers in the densest state in the US. CRAN Executive Director Ben Dziobek gets specific about how they are winning by empowering their Gen Z members and volunteers to form creative alliances to fi...

An interview with Michigan candidates Abdul El Sayed and William Lawrence.   Abdul El Sayed and William Lawrence are running to represent Michigan in the Senate and House, respectively. Both have leaned in hard in their opposition to runaway data center buildout and now enjoy unexpected leads in primary polling. We discuss how these issues became front and center, what they hope to do about them,...

Facing a tidal wave of AI data center development and complex corporate takeover in Indiana, residents in all corners of the state have come together to notch stunning victories against big tech. Kerwin Olson and Ben Inskeep of the Indiana Citizen Action Coalition discuss their work with neighbors in dozens of counties to stop outside companies from gobbling up energy, water, and land.  Message us...

 The Seminole Nation in Oklahoma has made international headlines with their unanimously passed ban on AI data centers on their lands. Indigenous organizer Ash Nicole Lamont and Mekusukey Band Representative Chebon Kernell, who introduced the legislation, tell the fascinating story of their community’s successful resistance. They outline the threats of AI data centers to language, tradition, and s...

Taylor Frazier McCollum left her job at a beauty salon in Landover, Maryland after seeing a video about a data center. She organized with her clients and neighbors to win a data center moratorium in her town. Taylor’s story of using the relationship building and organizational skills of her trade to keep her town safe reveals the power each of us has to step up and take on big tech.  Message us on...

Kate Brennan of the AI Now Institute is a leading national expert on the rapid development of AI and data centers and a vocal advocate for regular people to have a say in emerging technology. She talks about her journey as a technology loving Google employee, the policy toolkit she wrote for local officials, and what you can do to fight data centers near you.   Message us on Instagram @thehumpod t...

Emily Waldron is a social worker and farmer who harvests trees to become telephone poles in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. In our discussion, we explore the home she loves and the reasons she and her neighbors of all ages have banded together to organize tractor parades, town halls, and community meetings to protect the rich soils that fuel their way of life from Silicon Valley tech companies. ...

This is the first episode of The Hum! Journalist Andrew Chow’s TIME cover story included conversations with people fighting data centers and AI all over the US. In our discussion, we dig deep into why people are rising up, who they’re up against and what they’re fighting for. The overview provides a foundation for the interviews with activists and researchers to come.   Message us on Instagram @th...

The Hum is a podcast about who controls the future - interviews with people fighting the rapid expansion of AI and data centers for the profits of a few. Weekly episode of The Hum are coming in May 2026. Subscribe now and tell everyone you know about the show.  The Hum is produced in partnership with Rowhome Productions.