Hard-right panel in Dallas clashes over AI, data centers and immigration
At a Dallas policy forum, Joe Allen challenged venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale on AI’s societal impact, while both sparred over data-center expansion and immigration rhetoric.
During a policy discussion in Dallas, a hard-right crowd heard Joe Allen warn that AI and data-center proliferation threaten education, relationships, and immigration control. Allen, previously the transhumanism editor on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, targeted Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale for his ties to surveillance technology and support for Ukraine. Lonsdale responded by framing AI as part of America’s tradition of frontier innovation, comparing current complaints to past social movements and suggesting they are fueled by Chinese psy-ops.
The dialogue reflected broader tensions within the emerging American right between populist activism and traditional small-government ideals. Additional speakers, including Curtis Yarvin, criticized Silicon Valley engineers as self-absorbed. An anti-data-center group, Humans First, announced a “Data Center Revolt” bus tour, while Allen called for government intervention as the only remedy.
Why it matters
The debate shows how AI and data-center policies are becoming flashpoints within the U.S. right, influencing future regulation and political alignment.
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