‘A driver of political violence’: how the breakneck AI boom is fueling anti-tech extremism

Backlash against AI is taking an extremist turn, following in the footsteps of earlier techno-pessimist militants

• https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&utm_campaign=BN22326&utm_content=signup&utm_term=standfirst&utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email

When a 20-year-old man from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/texas">Texas was arrested earlier this year for allegedly trying to burn down https://www.theguardian.com/technology/openai">OpenAI’s headquarters and https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/18/sam-altman-house-attack-ai">Sam Altman’s house, authorities found an anti-https://www.theguardian.com/technology/artificialintelligenceai">AI manifesto alongside his lighter and a jug of kerosene.

It was one of a spate of attacks that has caused alarm among researchers, the tech industry and law enforcement about the rise of anti-tech extremism.

In April, an Italian “nature pilled” Instagram influencer was arrested in Rome and charged with plotting a series of anti-tech attacks that took inspiration from Ted “The Unabomber” Kaczynski.

Two self-described “ecofascists” that carried out a deadly anti-Muslim attack on a mosque in San Diego last month also https://thethreat.substack.com/p/in-the-worldview-of-the-san-diego">cited “AI slop” and https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/jd-vance">JD Vance’s ties to https://www.theguardian.com/technology/palantir">Palantir as motivations for their violence in their manifesto.

An Indianapolis city councilor woke up earlier this year to https://fox59.com/indiana-news/caught-on-camera-shelbyville-mayor-insinuates-citizens-opposing-data-centers-are-poor-renters-in-shy-houses/">gunshots being fired into his home before finding a note that read “NO DATA CENTERS”.