Anti-AI Protesters Break Into Microsoft Data Center Site in Amsterdam

Protesters broke into a Microsoft data center construction site on the outskirts of Amsterdam on Friday during an anti-AI demonstration.

Images on social media show activists scaling fences and congregating inside the construction site. Some of them climbed a crane, unfurled a banner with an anti-AI message, and let off flares.

Geef Tegengas, a Dutch activist collective, said on social media that it organized the action and that hundreds of its supporters were blocking construction of the site.

“We won’t accept Amsterdam being used for the creation of AI slop and the facilitation of genocide,” said Geef Tegengas spokesperson Roos Molenaar in a statement. “This data center is gulping up our drinking water to make the rich even richer.”

A Microsoft spokesperson said that it’s aware of the “demonstration” at the Westpoort Amsterdam site.

“We understand that people feel strongly about the project, and we respect their right to express those views peacefully,” they said. “However, we do not condone any actions that are unlawful or that put people’s safety at risk. The wellbeing of everyone at and around the site, including workers, staff and neighbors is our first concern.”

The protests are the latest example of backlash against data centers, the machines that have become a symbol for people’s fears of AI and concerns over its environmental impact. They were a key issue in the US midterm elections and widely rejected at the ballot box over concerns about power bills, water use and other impacts on local communities.

In its statement, Geef Tegengas said the Microsoft project would strain the power grid during a housing shortage and give the tech company more control over data and the flow of information.

The group also objects to what it describes as the use of Microsoft’s technology for surveillance and military operations.

A video posted on X by Dutch journalist Tom Olthof shows people hanging banners opposing the project, while a separate demonstration is held across the road.

Police feared possible damage to the construction site from chemical use, Olthof said in the caption.

The Amsterdam site was also targeted in June by Geef Tegengas activists, temporarily halting work.