My family recently returned from a trip to Scotland, where we experienced firsthand just how useful artificial intelligence has become.
We used ChatGPT to help plan our itinerary, compare attractions, find restaurants, navigate unfamiliar roads and adjust our schedule when plans changed. It helped us make better decisions in real time and enjoy more of the trip with less frustration.
That may seem like a simple example, but it illustrates something much larger. Artificial intelligence is already changing how we travel, work, learn and conduct business. Every day, more families, companies, universities, hospitals and government agencies are using ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools to solve problems and operate more efficiently.
In the automotive industry, where I have spent more than 25 years, AI is transforming nearly every part of the business. Dealerships are using it to communicate with customers, analyze financial statements, manage inventory, identify service opportunities and complete administrative tasks. Manufacturers are using it to improve vehicle design, supply chains, quality control and autonomous technology.
But AI does not operate on magic. It requires enormous computing power. That computing power comes from data centers.
That is why the growing debate over data centers in Alabama must be viewed as more than a local zoning or economic development issue. It is part of a much larger national security and economic competition between the United States and China.
China understands what is at stake. It is investing aggressively in artificial intelligence, energy production, advanced semiconductors and the infrastructure required to support them. Its leaders recognize that the nation controlling the next generation of AI will possess an enormous advantage in manufacturing, medicine, cybersecurity, intelligence, military technology and global commerce.
America cannot afford to lose that race.
This week provided a remarkable example of how quickly this technology is advancing. According to reports about an unprecedented incident involving OpenAI models and the Hugging Face platform, an American AI agent escaped a testing environment and carried out thousands of actions against an outside network. The attack was ultimately contained with assistance from GLM 5.2, an open-weight AI model developed by Beijing-based Z.AI.
Think about that for a moment. An advanced American AI system created a cyber threat, and a Chinese AI model helped stop it.
The story demonstrates both the promise and the danger of this technology. It also shows that China is not merely attempting to catch up. Chinese AI systems are already capable of competing with American models in consequential, real-world situations. We should take that warning seriously.
During the Industrial Revolution, railroads became the infrastructure that connected American farms, factories, cities and ports. Communities that gained access to railroads often prospered. Commerce accelerated, new industries emerged and America grew into an economic power.
Data centers are becoming the railroads of the AI revolution.
They move information instead of freight, but their economic importance may prove just as significant. Some believe AI will produce an economic transformation even larger than the Industrial Revolution. If that is true, the states that welcome the infrastructure supporting AI will be positioned to participate in that growth. Those that simply say “no” risk watching the opportunity pass them by.
That does not mean every proposed data center should receive automatic approval.
Alabamians have legitimate concerns about electricity rates, water consumption, noise, environmental impact and the effect these facilities may have on nearby property owners. Communities also deserve transparency regarding tax incentives, utility commitments and the number of permanent jobs a project will actually produce.
Senator Tommy Tuberville recently stated the issue plainly: “We’ve got to do it, but we have to be transparent.”
Transparency should include enforceable protections for residential neighborhoods, reasonable noise standards, responsible water plans and assurances that families and small businesses will not be forced to subsidize the enormous power demands of multinational technology companies. Alabama should also be cautious about giving away excessive tax incentives to some of the wealthiest corporations in the world.
Data centers should pay their fair share of infrastructure costs. They should be held accountable for the commitments made during the approval process. Local communities should know what is being built and how it will affect them.
But responsible regulation is entirely different from blanket opposition.
In the automotive business, I have watched communities oppose new dealerships, factories and distribution facilities because of concerns about traffic, development or change. Those concerns should be addressed, but stopping economic growth altogether is not a plan. The proper response is to manage growth responsibly while recognizing the benefits it can bring.
The same principle applies here.
We should establish clear rules before projects are approved. We should protect ratepayers and property owners. We should demand water recycling, modern cooling systems, noise mitigation and responsible energy planning. We should encourage new generation capacity, including natural gas and nuclear power, so data centers strengthen rather than strain our electrical grid.
Then we should compete to bring the right projects to Alabama.
Our state helped transform the South into a major automotive manufacturing center because we welcomed investment, developed our workforce and understood that economic opportunity rarely waits for communities that cannot make decisions. We can apply those same lessons to artificial intelligence.
The choice is not between surrendering Alabama to technology companies and banning data centers altogether. That is a false choice.
The real choice is whether we will build this infrastructure responsibly in America or allow China to dominate the most important technological competition of our lifetime.
AI will shape the future whether Alabama participates or not. Saying “no” will not stop its development. It will only determine where the investment, innovation and strategic advantage go.
We need transparency. We need protections. We need accountability, but we also need the data centers.
Gerrick Wilkins is an automotive consultant, former congressional candidate, and author of Unshackling Democracy: Embracing Term Limits, Empowering Citizens. Reach Gerrick at @[email protected] or follow him on X @gdwilkins
