夜雨聆风
标题 : The AI backlash is only getting started来源 : The Economist | 2026.06.27主题 : 本文探讨了西方社会对人工智能日益增长的负面情绪及其背后的担忧。作者警告称，这种针对数据中心建设和技术发展的抵制可能导致国家丧失竞争优势，并建议政府通过利益共享、精准监管、客观计量及优化公共服务来化解危机。
① Advances in ARTIFICIAL intelligence have long terrified techies. Lately, voters are feeling the angst, too. AI is unpopular in the West and climbing up the political agenda. The fiercest fights so far have been in America, where protests against data centres have scuppered nearly $100bn-worth of projects, warring AI megadonors have just dumped tens of millions into a Manhattan congressional race and around 40% of voters tell pollsters that they want AI banned from most industries. But spats are breaking out elsewhere: after chipmaking profits soared recently, workers at Samsung in South Korea threatened a strike to secure special payouts.
• scupper : /ˈskʌpər/ v. 使（计划等）落空，毁灭 • megadonor : /ˈmeɡəˌdoʊnər/ n. 巨额捐赠者 • spat : /spæt/ n. 小争吵，口角
人工智能的进步长期以来一直让技术人员感到恐惧。最近，选民也感到了焦虑。AI在西方并不受欢迎，且在政治议程中的地位不断上升。到目前为止，最激烈的斗争发生在美国：反对数据中心的抗议活动已经导致价值近1000亿美元的项目搁浅；相互竞争的AI巨额捐款人刚向曼哈顿的一场国会竞选中投入了数千万美元；约40%的选民告诉民意调查机构，他们希望在大多数行业禁用AI。在其他地方也爆发了争端：随着芯片制造利润近期飙升，韩国三星的员工威胁要进行罢工以争取特别奖酬。
② The backlash is only just getting started, because the technology is only just getting started, too. Britain’s flimsy prime-minister-in-waiting, Andy Burnham, has barely said a word about AI. Even Americans still rank it 29th out of 39 election issues.
• flimsy : /ˈflɪmzi/ adj. 脆弱的，不可信的
抵制潮才刚刚开始，因为这项技术也才刚刚起步。英国那位基础不牢的候任首相安迪·伯纳姆几乎没谈过AI。甚至美国人仍将其在39个选举议题中排在第29位。
③ That is bound to change—and battles over data centres offer a hint of the struggles to come. The buildings summon a vitriol well beyond conventional nimbyism. More Americans say they would be happy with a nuclear reactor next door than a data centre. Even plans to build one in the Utah desert have met with passionate opposition.
• vitriol : /ˈvɪtriəl/ n. 刻薄的言辞，深仇大恨 • nimbyism : /ˈnɪmbiɪzəm/ n. “邻避症”（不愿让相关设施建在自家庭院附近）
这种情况必然会改变——而围绕数据中心的争夺预示着未来的斗争。这些建筑引发的刻薄谩骂远超传统的邻避主义。相比数据中心，更多的美国人表示宁愿在自家隔壁建一个核反应堆。甚至在犹他州沙漠建造数据中心的计划也遭到了激烈的反对。
④ Data centres can be ugly, it is true. But the opposition reflects the technology’s reputation. AI bosses have spent years warning of a loomingjob-pocalypse and the danger that an AI-engineered super-virus will make humans extinct. Opponents of data centres variously believe they are shielding the environment, protecting jobs and saving the species—and they are not entirely wrong.
• looming : /ˈluːmɪŋ/ adj. 隐约可见的，即将来临的 • job-pocalypse : /dʒɒb pɒkəlɪps/ n. 就业末日（非正式合成词）
诚然，数据中心可能很丑陋。但这种反对情绪反映了这项技术的名声。AI巨头们多年来一直在警告即将到来的“就业末日”，以及AI制造的超级病毒导致人类灭绝的危险。数据中心的反对者们认为自己是在保护环境、守住工作并拯救人类——他们并不完全错误。
⑤ Yet this backlash is itself dangerous. AI promises to change the world for the better, much as electricity or the steam engine did. Not long ago, the era-defining problem for the rich world was stagnant economic growth and the populism it unleashed. Now it has a technology that could power a surge in productivity and incomes, help find cures for untreatable diseases and improve everything from education to green tech.
• stagnant : /ˈstæɡnənt/ adj. 停滞的，不景气的 • productivity : /ˌproʊdʌkˈtɪvəti/ n. 生产力，生产效率
然而，这种抵制本身是危险的。AI有望让世界变得更好，就像电力或蒸汽机曾做过的那样。不久前，富裕国家定义时代的难题还是经济增长停滞及其引发的民粹主义。现在，这种技术可以推动生产力和收入的激增，帮助寻找不治之症的疗法，并改善从教育到绿色科技的一切。
⑥ All this could be lost if countries starve the technology of computing power or regulate it into uselessness. Look at mRNA vaccines research, which has been held back after a backlash during the covid-19 pandemic.
• starve : /stɑːrv/ v. 匮乏，使饥饿 • regulate : /ˈreɡjuleɪt/ v. 监管，控制
a如果各国切断这项技术的算力供应，或者通过监管使其变得毫无用处，这一切都可能丧失。看看 mRNA 疫苗的研究，在 covid-19 大流行期间受到抵制后，其进程已被推迟。
⑦ Scenarios in which some countries give in to popular rage but others forge ahead are also worrying. Europe and Canada are more risk-averse than America. If they choked off AI while the rest of the world kept pushing forward, their losses could be unrecoverable. More than two centuries after the Industrial Revolution, few countries have managed to catch up with the first movers.
• risk-averse : /rɪsk əˈvɜːrs/ adj. 风险规避的
某些国家屈服于大众愤怒而另一些国家则奋勇向前的局面也令人担忧。欧洲和加拿大比美国更规避风险。如果他们在世界其他地方不断前进时扼杀AI，其损失将是无法挽回的。在工业革命两个多世纪后，很少有国家能赶上先行者。
⑧ So the stakes are high. Can governments do anything about it? Grand proclamations about the shape of a “social contract” for a post-AI world are good fodder for blog posts but offer little help today. Besides, the unknowns are still large enough to make the exercise almost futile.
• proclamation : /ˌprɒkləˈmeɪʃn/ n. 公告，宣言 • fodder : /ˈfɒdə(r)/ n. 素材，养料 • futile : /ˈfjuːtaɪl/ adj. 徒劳的，无用的
因此，赌注很高。政府能做些什么吗？关于后AI时代“社会契约”形式的宏大宣言虽是博文的好素材，但对现今毫无帮助。此外，未知因素仍然巨大，使得这种尝试几乎徒劳。
⑨ Better to be incremental. While China’s economy was growing by 10% a year in the 1980s—faster than all but the most extreme forecasts for AI-driven growth—the mantra of its leader Deng Xiaoping was “crossing the river by feeling the stones”: pushing forward iteratively, planning for problems but staying flexible. Deftly handling the AI age will take a similar spirit.
• mantra : /ˈmæntrə/ n. 准则，口号 • iteratively : /ˈɪtərətɪvli/ adv. 迭代地，反复地
更好的做法是循序渐进。当中国经济在20世纪80年代以每年10%的速度增长时（比除最极端预测外的AI驱动增长都要快），其领导人邓小平的准则是“摸着石头过河”：通过迭代向前推进，预见问题但保持灵活性。老练地处理AI时代也需要类似的精神。
⑩ To that end, here are four pointers for politicians and AI companies looking for policies. First, spread the benefits of AI as widely as possible. Blockers need to be shown that their local area will benefit if they get out of the way. Wisely, data-centre firms are beginning to offer funding to nearby towns. Gradually, this approach needs to be broadened to society at large, with mechanisms showing people that they have an economic stake in AI’s progress, and will be helped to adapt to disruption through policies such as wage insurance. Only a shared sense of prosperity can temper the toxic who-wins/who-loses politics that emerged in the era of globalisation.
• stake : /steɪk/ n. 利益关系，股份 • prosperity : /prɒˈsperəti/ n. 繁荣，成功 • temper : /ˈtempər/ v. 缓和，调和
为此，给寻求政策的政客和AI公司提供四点建议。首先，尽可能广泛地传播AI的利益。需要让阻挠者看到，如果他们不挡道，当地将会受益。明智的是，数据中心公司已开始向附近的城镇提供资金。这种方法需要逐渐扩大到整个社会，通过机制向人们展示他们在AI进步中拥有经济利益，并能通过工资保险等政策帮助他们适应冲击。只有共同的繁荣感才能缓和全球化时代出现的那种“赢家通吃”的毒性政治。
⑪ Second, regulate hard when interventions are needed. The hair-raising prospect of AI-enabled cyber-attacks or bioterrorism is still not taken as seriously as it ought to be. Tackling those issues and others is essential in itself, but it would also weaken arguments to ban or hobble AI indiscriminately. Ideally, these efforts would involve international co-operation.
• hair-raising : /ˈher reɪzɪŋ/ adj. 令人毛骨悚然的 • indiscriminately : /ˌɪndɪˈskrɪmɪnətli/ adv. 不加区别地
第二，在需要干预的地方进行严厉监管。AI引发的网络攻击或生物恐怖主义的惊人前景仍未得到应有的重视。解决这些问题本身至关重要，且能削弱不加区别地禁止或束缚AI的理由。理想情况下，这些努力应涉及国际合作。
⑫ Third, measure everything. The common view that AI is already leading to lay-offs and raising electricity bills is probably wrong. But without better statistics it is hard to be sure. Data centres must contend with viral worries over water usage, a confected issue. (Modern ones drink up no more than other industries, and much less in total than America’s golf courses.) Facts won’t cure misinformation, but their absence worsens it. Britain’s AI Security Institute and new AI Economics Institute may offer models for other countries to follow.
• confected : /kənˈfektɪd/ adj. 虚构的，编造的
第三，测量一切。AI已导致裁员和电费上涨的普遍看法可能是错误的。但没有更好的统计数据，很难确定。数据中心必须应对关于用水量的病毒式担忧，这是一个编造出来的问题（现代设施的耗水量并不比其他行业多，总耗水量远低于美国的哥尔夫球场）。事实无法治愈虚假信息，但事实的缺失会使之恶化。英国的AI安全研究所和新的AI经济研究所可能为其他国家提供参考模式。
⑬ Fourth, use AI to make the state better. It is not just the private sector that could use AI to lift productivity. Filing taxes should be a breeze; state-run health-care systems should link up data seamlessly and schools should experiment with AI-powered learning. AI may also make it easier for citizens to monitor what politicians are up to.
• breeze : /briːz/ n. 轻而易举的事 • seamlessly : /ˈːmləsli/ adv. 无缝地，平滑地
第四，利用AI让政府变得更好。不仅私营部门可以使用AI提高生产力。报税应该变得轻而易举；国营医疗系统应实现数据无缝连接，学校应试验AI驱动的学习。AI还可能让公民更容易监督政客的动向。
⑭ People are less likely to oppose a technology if it is behind their grandmother’s cancer treatment or helping their child’s education. And they are more likely to trust that the state can oversee it if they believe that government works.
• oversee : /ˌoʊvərˈsiː/ v. 监督，管理
如果一项技术能支持祖母的癌症治疗或帮助孩子的教育，人们就不太可能反对它。如果选民相信政府在正常运作，他们就更有可能信任国家能对其进行监管。
⑮ Voters are right to take a close interest in how AI could change their lives. The future will be messy, odd and unpredictable. Persuading them that their interests are being served by disruption has become as important as making AI models better. Failure will bring out more pitchforks—and destroy vast opportunities for humanity.
• pitchfork : /ˈpɪtʃfɔːrk/ n. 干草叉（此处喻指愤怒的暴民抗议）
选民关注AI如何改变他们的生活是正确的。未来将是混乱、奇特且不可预测的。说服他们其利益正从这种变革中受益，已变得与改进AI模型同样重要。失败将引来更多的抗议，并摧毁人类巨大的机遇。
Reading Comprehension
1. Why do some Americans prefer living next to a nuclear reactor rather than a data centre?A. Because nuclear reactors provide free energy to nearby households.B. Because data centres have a proven track record of contaminating local water supplies.C. Because data centres are perceived to have higher noise levels and ugly architecture.D. Because the opposition stems from a deeper fear and the negative reputation of AI technology. 2. Which historical strategy does the author suggest governments should adopt for AI policy?A. Implementing a strict "social contract" to redistribute all AI profits immediately.B. Following the "industrial revolution" model of ignoring worker concerns entirely.C. Adopting Deng Xiaoping's incremental approach of "crossing the river by feeling the stones."D. Banning all private data centres until international co-operation on safety is established. 3. According to the text, how can AI help improve public trust in the government?A. By replacing politicians with unbiased AI models to make critical decisions.B. By making administrative tasks like tax filing easier and improving essential services.C. By allowing the state to monitor all citizens' private online activities more effectively.D. By ensuring that only the wealthiest megadonors have a say in congressional races.
Key Expressions
1. Summon a vitriol - 引发刻薄谩骂Example: The decision to close the local library summoned a vitriol from the community. 2. Cede the frontier - 割让前沿（阵地）Example: If the company stops innovating, it will cede the technological frontier to its competitors. 3. Cross the river by feeling the stones - 摸着石头过河Example: Developing a new market requires patience and a willingness to cross the river by feeling the stones. 4. Economic stake - 利益关系/经济利害Example: Every citizen has an economic stake in the stability of the national currency.
Word Family Trees
prosperity : /prɒˈsperəti/ (n) 繁荣，昌盛
词根演化 : 源自拉丁语 prosperitas，由 pro- (向前/为了) + sperare (希望) 演变而来。本义是“符合心愿的”，逻辑演变为事情进展顺利、获得财富和成功的状态。
同族扩展 :prosper : /ˈprɒspər/ v. 繁荣，成功prosperous : /ˈprɒspərəs/ adj. 繁荣的，兴旺的despair : /dɪˈspeər/ n./v. 绝望（词源中 de- 表示“离开”，即失去希望，与 prosper 相对）
常用搭配 :shared prosperity (共同繁荣)economic prosperity (经济繁荣)
cede : /siːd/ (v) 让与，放弃（领土、权利）
词根演化 : 源自拉丁语 cedere (走，离开)。本义是“走开/让路”，在政治和法律语境下演变为“让出”位置、权力或领土。
同族扩展 :cession : /ˈseʃn/ n. 割让，转让recede : /rɪˈsiːd/ v. 后退，退去concede : /kənˈsiːd/ v. 承认，让步
常用搭配 :cede territory (割让领土)cede control (放弃控制权)
Answer Key
1-4: D C B