to the editor: At a time when most Americans believe that AI is more likely to harm them than help them in everyday life, such as previously reported In the Los Angeles Times, NIMBYism should not be confused with opposition to data centers (“'You're a liar.’ Why the world's biggest construction boom has hit a wall in California,” April 2).
“NIMBY” is a term used derisively for latent hypocrisy. Here, opposition to data centers is more like “not in anyone's backyard.” Confusing the two does a disservice to the people who will suffer from the problems of data centers and AI, no matter where they live.
Michael Smallberg, San Diego
