STEVEN LEE MYERS, DUSTIN VOLZ2026年7月10日A state-owned newspaper in China recently published a satellite image of a data center in Gainesville, Va., writing in English that the development of artificial intelligence posed a threat to Americans’ physical and financial well-being.中国的一家国有报纸最近发表了一张位于弗吉尼亚州盖恩斯维尔的数据中心卫星图像，并用英文写道，人工智能的发展对美国人的身体和财务健康构成了威胁。A comic strip made to look as if it had been published by a Maryland news outlet — created with OpenAI’s ChatGPT by people in China, the tech company said — circulated on X this year, blaming data centers for soaring electricity bills. It showed a tycoon smoking a cigar and clutching bags of cash.一幅伪装成马里兰州新闻媒体发布的漫画在今年X网站上流传开来。科技公司OpenAI表示，这幅漫画是由中国人使用该公司旗下的的ChatGPT创作的。漫画将电费飙升归咎于数据中心，画面中一位大亨叼着雪茄，拎着几袋现金。A video shared on X by a known covert Russian influence operation questioned the viability of a data center that an American company, Firebird, is constructing in Armenia, the small Caucasus nation that has been a focus of Kremlin pressure. “The country’s electrical grid instability may render it useless,” the video’s narrator says.某知名俄罗斯秘密影响行动在X上分享了一段视频，对美国公司Firebird正在亚美尼亚建造的数据中心的可行性提出质疑，这个高加索小国一直是克里姆林宫施压的焦点。“该国电网的不稳定性可能会让它变得毫无用处，”视频的旁白说道。All are examples of a push by foreign adversaries to seize on what polls have shown is deep ambivalence — verging at times on hostility — about the spread of the data centers needed to power A.I. in the United States and elsewhere.民意调查显示，公众对美国和其他地方人工智能所需数据中心的扩张存在深刻的矛盾心理（有时甚至接近敌意）。上述种种正是外国敌对势力企图利用这种心理的例子。China, Russia and, to a lesser extent, Iran have sought to use state media outlets to turn the controversy over data centers in the United States into “a domestic fracture point,” according to a new analysis by Alethea, a threat intelligence company, which identified scores of articles and posts on social media this year.威胁情报公司Alethea的一份新分析报告显示，中国、俄罗斯和伊朗（程度稍逊）都试图利用官方媒体机构将美国围绕数据中心的争议转变成一个“国内撕裂点”，该公司在今年发现了数十篇相关文章和社交媒体帖子。These campaigns, whose impact on public opinion remains to be seen, have raised alarms in Washington, where A.I. is seen as a top issue heading into this year’s midterm elections.这些行动对公众舆论的影响究竟如何尚待观察，但它们已经在华盛顿敲响了警钟，随着今年中期选举临近，人工智能已被视为首要议题。The foreign efforts appear intended to stoke the debate over data centers that has united political figures across the political spectrum — from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a progressive, to Stephen K. Bannon, the erstwhile adviser to President Trump.这些外国行动似乎旨在挑起有关数据中心的辩论，而这场辩论已经让不同政治光谱的政治人物联合在了一起——从进步派的佛蒙特州参议员伯尼·桑德斯到特朗普总统的前顾问斯蒂芬·K·班农。“Foreign actors aren’t manufacturing American debates over the future of A.I., they are exploiting them,” said Jessica Brandt, a former official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who tracked foreign influence efforts during the Biden administration.“外国行为体并不是在凭空制造美国关于人工智能未来的辩论，他们是在利用这些辩论，”在拜登政府时期追踪外国影响活动的前国家情报总监办公室官员杰西卡·勃兰特表示。The goal, she added, is to “deepen our divisions in order to dent our appeal and weaken us from within.”她补充道，其目的是“加深我们的分歧，以此削弱我们的吸引力并从内部弱化我们”。Republicans and business lobbying groups have seized on the role of China, in particular, claiming that the country’s Communist Party wants to undercut American leadership in a field that the Chinese, too, hope to dominate. They argue that China’s propaganda is an effort to slow down American development.共和党人和商业游说团体尤其强调中国所扮演的角色，声称中国共产党想要削弱美国在这一中国自身也希望主导的领域中的领跑地位。他们辩称，中国的宣传是为了拖慢美国发展的步伐。“We can’t allow any effort by foreign adversaries to extort these fears and undermine our technological development,” Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, wrote to the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, referring to genuine public concerns.“我们决不能允许外国敌对势力利用这些恐惧来削弱我们的技术发展，”阿肯色州共和党参议员汤姆·科顿在致代理司法部长托德·布兰奇的信中写道，其中的“恐惧”指的是公众的真实担忧。The Trump administration, which after taking office dismantled many of the government teams that tracked foreign influence operations, has begun to recognize the political threat of the rising sentiment against A.I.特朗普上任后解散了政府内许多负责追踪外国影响行动的团队，但现在也已开始意识到反对人工智能情绪高涨所带来的政治威胁。A Gallup poll in May found that 71 percent of Americans were somewhat or strongly opposed to having a data center built near them, almost 20 percentage points higher than those who opposed construction of a nearby nuclear power plant. Many have broad concerns about the effects of A.I. on jobs and the climate, while people who live near data centers complain they are eyesores and emit annoying sounds. Some cities and counties have enacted temporary or permanent moratoriums on new construction.盖洛普在5月的一项民意调查中发现，71%的美国人对在自家附近兴建数据中心持不同程度的反对意见，这一比例比反对在附近建造核电站的人高出近20个百分点。许多人对人工智能对就业和气候的影响持有广泛的担忧，生活在数据中心附近的人则抱怨它们既有碍观瞻又发出令人烦躁的噪音。一些县市已经发出临时或永久性停建令。In a recent interview on Fox Business, Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, suggested that the outside influence campaigns had succeeded in building opposition to data centers. “I think some of this propaganda is being effective,” he said.内政部长道格·伯格姆最近在福克斯商业频道接受采访时表示，外部的舆论引导行动已成功煽动了对数据中心的反对情绪。“我认为其中一些宣传正在产生效果，”他说。The foreign campaigns follow a familiar playbook that dates back at least a decade. They often try to leverage official news organizations and social media to fuel domestic discord around hot-button issues like guns, race and vaccines, or even natural disasters like the wildfires in and around Los Angeles last year.这些外国政治行动遵循了至少可以追溯到十年前的熟悉套路。它们经常试图利用官方新闻机构和社交媒体，围绕枪支、种族和疫苗等热门焦点问题来煽动国内不和，甚至还会利用诸自然灾害，如去年洛杉矶及其周边地区发生的山火。 Between January and June, state media in China, Russia and Iran mentioned data centers roughly 700 times, according to Alethea’s analysis. That was an average of nearly four times a day, though it remained a small fraction of overall published content about A.I. development.根据Alethea的分析，今年1月至6月，中国、俄罗斯和伊朗的官方媒体大约700次提及数据中心。这相当于平均每天近四次，尽管这在所有关于人工智能发展的已发表内容中依然只占一小部分。The outlets have featured articles and posts aimed at an American audience, as well as content highlighting criticism of data centers by prominent Americans, like Tucker Carlson, the conservative commentator. In Iran, state media has also highlighted links between American A.I. companies and Israel and criticized the race to develop the technology as reckless.这些平台推出了针对美国受众的文章和帖子，并重点突出了美国名人对数据中心的批评，例如保守派评论员塔克·卡尔森。在伊朗，官方媒体还强调了美国人工智能公司与以色列之间的联系，并批评开发该技术的竞争是轻率盲目的。Covert Russian information operations, previously identified by government officials and researchers, have recently begun to focus on data centers as a wedge issue on social media, but so far their Chinese counterparts have not done so in the same way, according to Alethea.Alethea指出，此前被政府官员和研究人员识破的俄罗斯秘密信息行动最近已开始将数据中心作为社交媒体上的一个分裂性议题来重点关注，但到目前为止，他们的中国同行还没有以同样的方式这样做。OpenAI did disclose last month that a small number of operatives working in China used the company’s ChatGPT platform to generate covert social media campaigns on X, including the comic strip.不过，OpenAI在上个月透露，少数在中国境内工作的人员曾利用该公司的ChatGPT平台在X上发起秘密的社交媒体运动，其中包括前述漫画。Other posts by the operatives promoted claims that data centers were spiking electricity costs and criticized Mr. Trump’s tariffs as a blunt tool used to win the technology race.这些人员发布的其他帖子宣称数据中心正在推高电费，并批评特朗普的关税政策是用于赢得技术竞争的粗暴工具。OpenAI, though, found “little to no authentic engagement” with the campaigns, and the accounts at issue were ultimately removed from X. OpenAI did not respond to requests for comment about Chinese or other foreign efforts.但OpenAI，发现这些行动“几乎没有引起真实的互动”，相关账号最终已被X平台移除。OpenAI未回应关于中国或其他外国此类行动的置评请求。(The New York Times has sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, accusing them of copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems. They have denied those claims.)（《纽约时报》已对OpenAI及其合作伙伴微软提起诉讼，指控它们在人工智能系统相关的新闻内容上存在版权侵权行为。它们均否认了这些指控。）Lobbyists have also weighed in to insinuate that American opposition has been fomented with support from abroad.游说者也加入进来，暗示美国国内的反对声浪是在国外的支持下煽动起来的。Power the Future, an energy industry group, argued recently that domestic opposition to data centers was manufactured by environmental groups financed in part by foreign donors like Hansjörg Wyss, the Swiss philanthropist and conservationist whose foundation is well known for supporting environmental issues.能源行业团体“推动未来”(Power the Future)最近辩称，国内对数据中心的反对是由某些环保组织精心制造出来的，而这些组织的部分资金源于国外捐赠者，例如瑞士慈善家兼环保人士汉斯约格·维斯(Hansjörg Wyss)，他的基金会因支持环保议题而广为人知。In a statement, the Wyss Foundation said it did not provide grants to oppose data centers. “These reports are false, misleading and an attempt by special interests to manipulate the public into accepting data centers,” the statement said.维斯基金会在声明中表示，它并未提供资金去反对数据中心。“这些报告是虚假的、具有误导性的，是特定利益集团试图操纵公众去接受数据中心的一种企图，”声明说。Another pair of reports, by the Bitcoin Policy Institute, a cryptocurrency advocacy group in Washington, also detailed what the group’s researchers called an “extensive, multiyear influence campaign” by China to sway the A.I. race.华盛顿加密货币倡导组织比特币政策研究所(Bitcoin Policy Institute)也发布了另外两份报告，详细阐述了其研究人员所称的由中国发起的“广泛且耗时数年的影响行动”，旨在左右人工智能竞争。As evidence, the reports cited an invitation by Mr. Sanders for two Chinese-government-linked academics to attend a conference on Capitol Hill in April. They also criticized political donations to liberal organizations from Neville Roy Singham, an American tech entrepreneur who is based in Shanghai and has long been a subject of criticism for supporting Chinese propaganda campaigns.作为证据，报告引用了桑德斯在4月邀请两名与中国政府有联系的学者参加国会山会议一事。他们还批评了常驻上海的美国科技企业家罗一(Neville Roy Singham)向自由派组织的政治捐款，罗一长期以来因支持中国的宣传活动而遭受批评。“There is an organic opposition to data centers,” the author of the reports, Sam Lyman, said. “What we are calling for is simply transparency, though, because we’ve been able to document an inorganic element that runs parallel to this specific opposition movement.”“对数据中心的反对声音是自发产生的，”报告的作者萨姆·莱曼说。“我们所呼吁的仅仅是透明度，因为我们已经能够证实，有一种非自发的因素正与这场特定的反对运动平行并存。”Mr. Sanders and Mr. Singham did not respond to a request for comment.桑德斯和罗一未回应置评请求。The Chinese government, through its embassy in Washington, disputed accusations that it was trying to stoke protests in the United States — something it has accused the United States of doing inside China.中国政府通过其驻华盛顿大使馆对关于其试图在美国煽动抗议的指控提出了异议——中方此前曾指责美国在中国境内从事此类活动。“The allegations are completely unfounded and constitute smears and defamation,” a spokesman, Liu Chang, said in response to questions, noting that the United States and China needed “to work together to promote the development and improve the governance of A.I. to make sure it will better contribute to social progress.”发言人刘畅在回应提问时表示：“这些指控完全毫无根据，构成了抹黑和诽谤，”并指出美中两国需要“共同努力促进AI的发展并改善其治理，以确保其能更好地为社会进步做出贡献”。Not all of the anti-A.I. content online has an overtly political purpose. Other actors appear to be exploiting the issue simply to build engagement.网络上的反人工智能内容并非全都带有明显的政治目的。其他行为体似乎仅仅是利用这一议题来赚取流量。Alethea tracked a network of inauthentic accounts on Facebook that has been posting images appearing to highlight Americans’ opposition to data centers. They include images generated by artificial intelligence showing, for example, a field of crops carved into a massive obscene hand gesture, each tailored to users in different American states. “This is what Oklahoma thinks of data centers,” one says.Alethea追踪到了Facebook上的一个虚假账号网络，该网络一直在发布似乎旨在凸显美国人反对数据中心的图像。其中包括由人工智能生成的图像，例如一片农田被雕刻成一个巨大的不雅手势，每张图片都针对美国不同州的用户的口味进行了定制。“这就是俄克拉何马州对数据中心的看法，”其中一张写道。 The network has digital traces linking it geographically to Bangladesh, Alethea found. It includes dozens of groups or accounts on Facebook and Instagram that feature names like “Life in Texas” or “I Love Minnesota.” Amid a steady stream of A.I. “slop” are posts opposing data centers.Alethea发现，该网络留下的数字痕迹在地域上指向了孟加拉国。它包括Facebook和Instagram上数十个带有“德克萨斯生活”或“我爱明尼苏达”等名称的群组或账号。在源源不断的人工智能垃圾内容中夹杂着反对数据中心的帖子。McKenzie Sadeghi, a principal analyst at Alethea, called the posts “rural rage bait.”Alethea的首席分析师麦肯齐·萨德吉将这些帖子称为“乡村愤怒诱饵”。“Data centers are likely the ideal topic for engagement-maximizing operators,” she said. “It is locally salient in all 50 states, fresh, and it maps onto pre-existing anti-China, anti-tax, ‘selling America’ grievance.”“对于那些追求互动最大化的运营者来说，数据中心可能是最理想的话题，”她说。“它在全美所有50个州都具有地方敏感性、具有新鲜度，而且它能够与现有的反华、反税收以及对‘出卖美国’的怨恨无缝对接。”Steven Lee Myers自旧金山报道关于错误信息和虚假信息的新闻。自1989年加入《纽约时报》以来，他曾自世界各地报道新闻，包括莫斯科、巴格达、北京和首尔。Dustin Volz为时报报道网络安全和情报领域，常驻华盛顿。翻译：纽约时报中文网点击查看本文英文版。