--- title: "War official says foreign adversaries fuel anti-AI movement" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/war-official-says-foreign-adversaries-fuel-anti-ai-movement" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/war-official-says-foreign-adversaries-fuel-anti-ai-movement" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/war-official-says-foreign-adversaries-fuel-anti-ai-movement.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/war-official-says-foreign-adversaries-fuel-anti-ai-movement" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-07T06:45:48.156Z" source_reported: "2026-10-07T05:35:01.000Z" updated: "2026-10-07T06:45:48.156Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 59 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-07T07:45:36.377569+00:00" --- # War official says foreign adversaries fuel anti-AI movement *Under Secretary Emil Michael claims 'psyop' operations aim to slow US AI infrastructure development.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named official; two independent outlets; one document cited. - Craft 59 of 100, higher is better. Reports quote affected parties and name specific figures, but lack right of reply for all. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headlines promise a psyop operation, but the body of reporting is more nuanced. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A Department of War official claims foreign adversaries are conducting 'psyop' operations to fuel opposition to AI and data centers in the US. - Under Secretary Emil Michael stated that this movement aims to decrease AI infrastructure production and that adversaries want to slow US development. - Senator Ted Cruz suggested foreign countries could benefit by convincing Americans to oppose data centers, thereby increasing reliance on them for AI. - Popular Information reports that while some efforts to foment opposition exist, there is no evidence they have meaningfully shaped US public opinion. A top official at the Department of War has stated that foreign adversaries are conducting 'psyop' operations to fuel the movement against data centers and artificial intelligence in the United States. Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael warned that this opposition is being pushed by America's adversaries, who do not want the US to develop super intelligence ahead of them. Michael described data centers as the "electricity that fuels the superintelligence revolution" and a crucial part of maintaining the US lead in the artificial intelligence race. Senator Ted Cruz echoed concerns about foreign influence, comparing the situation to Middle Eastern countries funding anti-fracking movements. He suggested that if foreign countries can convince Americans to oppose data centers, it would benefit them by increasing reliance on foreign AI. The New York Ledger also reported that lawmakers have raised questions about funding from American-born tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham into nonprofits now opposing data center development. ## Disagreement on foreign influence impact Popular Information reports that while some efforts to foment opposition to data centers exist, there is no evidence they have meaningfully shaped public opinion in the United States. The outlet states that a Gallup survey found over 70% of Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area. Popular Information identifies the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) as a source that popularized the 'Chinese psyop' claim, and notes that BPI's head of research has ties to the data center industry. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the Gallup survey finding that over 70% of Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, a detail carried by the centre and left-rated reports. The right-rated digests also do not mention the Popular Information report's identification of the Bitcoin Policy Institute as a source that popularized the 'Chinese psyop' claim, nor its note about BPI's head of research having ties to the data center industry. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 17% (1) - Centre: 16% (1) - Right: 67% (4) 0 of 6 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-07T07:45:36.377569+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-07T08:45:26.514Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated report from Popular Information led on the claim that Republicans are insisting data center opponents are victims of a 'Chinese psyop.' It highlighted that while some efforts to foment opposition exist, there is no evidence they have meaningfully shaped US public opinion. The report detailed how the 'Chinese psyop' claim was popularized by the Bitcoin Policy Institute, whose head of research has ties to the data center industry. It also noted that a Gallup survey found over 70% of Americans oppose constructing data centers in their local area. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from The New York Ledger led with a top Department of War official stating that foreign adversaries are running 'psyop' operations to fuel the anti-data center and anti-artificial intelligence movement in the US. It included warnings from Under Secretary Emil Michael about adversaries pushing to decrease AI infrastructure production. The report also featured comments from Senator Ted Cruz on foreign countries benefiting from US reliance on them for AI and detailed funding from Neville Roy Singham into nonprofits opposing data center development. ### Right - The right-rated reports, all digests, led on the claim by a top Department of War official that foreign adversaries are running 'psyop' operations to fuel the anti-AI and anti-data center movement in the US. They highlighted Under Secretary Emil Michael's warning that this movement is pushed by America's adversaries and aims to decrease AI infrastructure production. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 2 - mixed: 3 - high: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [khbrknews](https://khbrknews.com/foreign-adversaries-running-psyop-to-fuel-anti-ai-and-anti) — Foreign adversaries running ‘psyop’ to fuel anti-AI and anti - [The New York Ledger](https://thenyledger.com/politics/foreign-adversaries-running-psyop-to-fuel-anti-ai-and-anti-data-center-movement-war-official-says) — Foreign adversaries running 'psyop' to fuel anti-AI and anti-data center movement, war official says - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/foreign-adversaries-running-psyop-to-fuel-anti-ai-and-anti-data-center-movement-war-official-says) — Foreign adversaries running 'psyop' to fuel anti-AI and anti-data center movement, war official says - NEW YORK TIMES POST - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/foreign-adversaries-running-psyop-fuel-anti-ai-anti-data-center-movement-war-official-says) — Foreign adversaries running 'psyop' to fuel anti-AI and anti-data center movement, war official says - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/10/06/foreign-adversaries-running-psyop-to-fuel-anti-ai-and-anti-data-center-movement-war-official-says) — Foreign adversaries running ‘psyop’ to fuel anti-AI and anti-data center movement, war official says - [Popular Information](https://popular.info/p/republicans-insist-data-center-opponents) — Republicans insist data center opponents are victims of a “Chinese psyop” ## Questions **What is the main claim made by the Department of War official?** A top official at the Department of War stated that foreign adversaries are conducting 'psyop' operations to fuel opposition to artificial intelligence and data centers in the US. Under Secretary Emil Michael warned that this movement is pushed by America's adversaries who aim to decrease AI infrastructure production and slow US development. **What is Senator Ted Cruz's view on foreign influence and data centers?** Senator Ted Cruz suggested that foreign countries could benefit from the US relying on them for AI. He stated that by convincing Americans to oppose data centers, these countries could increase US dependence on their AI capabilities, which he views as detrimental to America. **Is there evidence that foreign influence is shaping US public opinion on data centers?** Popular Information reports that while some efforts to foment opposition to data centers exist, there is no evidence they have meaningfully shaped public opinion in the United States. The outlet noted that a Gallup survey found over 70% of Americans oppose constructing data centers for AI in their local area. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/war-official-says-foreign-adversaries-fuel-anti-ai-movement. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "War official says foreign adversaries fuel anti-AI movement", https://mediabias.news/politics/war-official-says-foreign-adversaries-fuel-anti-ai-movement