特朗普政府将AI批评声音定性为外国代理人活动

特朗普政府和共和党议员近日将公众对人工智能和数据中心的反对声音定性为受中国操纵的外国宣传活动。特朗普在9月14日和19日的社交媒体帖子中声称反对AI属于"背叛"和"叛国"行为，并威胁利用刑事司法系统对付"坏人"1。司法部随后向"公民和非公民"发出指令，要求任何推进外国势力"目标"的"任何公共活动"（包括"公开示威"）必须向政府正式通知以避免逮捕和起诉1。

参议院情报委员会主席汤姆·科顿（共和党人，亚利桑那州）在6月曾要求司法部调查针对美国AI基础设施的"外国影响力"，并将矛头指向上海美国科技大亨内维尔·罗伊·辛汉及其非营利组织网络1。

然而，民调数据显示公众对AI部署的担忧反映的是真实的国内关切而非海外操纵。盖洛普民调在3月进行的调查显示，71%的美国人反对在其所在地区建造AI数据中心，反对率甚至超过了核电站的53%；在共和党选民中，反对比例达到63%1。皮尤研究中心的数据进一步证实了这一担忧：40%的美国人认为AI在未来20年将伤害社会，63%认为AI发展过快，71%担心个人信息安全1。

The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers are characterizing public opposition to artificial intelligence and data centers as foreign propaganda orchestrated by China, with the Department of Justice threatening criminal charges against those advancing what officials describe as the agenda of foreign powers.1 On September 14 and 19, Trump characterized opposition to AI as "betrayal" and "treason," threatening to deploy the criminal justice system against "bad people" engaged in such criticism.1 The Justice Department instructed last week that "citizens and non-citizens" must formally notify the government of any "public activities"—including "public demonstrations"—that advance foreign interests to avoid arrest and prosecution.1

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR) requested in June that the Justice Department investigate "foreign influence" targeting U.S. AI infrastructure, focusing on tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham based in Shanghai and his network of nonprofit organizations.1

However, public sentiment data suggests the opposition reflects genuine domestic concerns rather than external manipulation. A Gallup poll from March found that 71 percent of Americans oppose constructing AI data centers in their communities, a higher opposition rate than the 53 percent registered for nuclear power plants, with 63 percent of Republicans also opposed.1 Pew Research surveys indicate that 40 percent of Americans believe AI will harm society within the next 20 years, 63 percent think AI is developing too rapidly, and 71 percent worry about personal information security.1