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Foreign adversaries running 'psyop' to fuel anti-AI and anti-data center movement, war official says

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Mizell, P. (2026, October 7). Foreign adversaries running 'psyop' to fuel anti-AI and anti-data center movement, war official says. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/foreign-adversaries-running-psyop-fuel-anti-ai-anti-data-center-movement-war-official-says

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Fox News · collected 2026-10-07 · by Preston Mizell

Quick Summary

A Department of War official told Fox News Digital that foreign adversaries are conducting psychological operations to fuel opposition against data centers and artificial intelligence in the U.S. The Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, Emil Michael, warned during an interview at the White House that these efforts aim to hinder America's development of advanced AI technology. He emphasized the importance of data center production as crucial infrastructure for maintaining the U.S.'s lead in the global AI race.
Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A top official from the Department of War, Under Secretary Emil Michael, warned in an interview with Fox News Digital about foreign adversaries using psychological operations (psyop) to fuel anti-AI and anti-data center movements across the U.S. He suggested that these campaigns aim to hinder America's development of advanced AI technology by influencing public opinion against such advancements. The debate around data centers has intensified ahead of the midterm elections, with lawmakers taking near-partisan stances on whether developments should continue. Michael described data centers as crucial infrastructure for powering the "superintelligence revolution," emphasizing their importance in technological progress and national security.

Written for “AI Psyops by Adversaries” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 AI Psyops by Adversaries
Technology · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly right and hedges 4% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 0 of 31 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI policy and security concerns without clearly referring to the same specific incident or time.”
The Independent
Hedges 3 of 37 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the AI and data center issue without referring to the same specific incident or time.”
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 26 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI and its implications but do not describe the same specific incident.”
The Independent
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles describe different perspectives and declarations regarding AI from a war official and President Trump, not the same specific incident.”
BBC News
Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different aspects of AI policy and security concerns rather than the same specific incident.”
South China Morning Post
⚖️ Leans left further left than this Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 62/100
“The articles discuss related topics concerning AI and national security but describe different aspects and events.”
Semafor
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 2 of 4 claims Outlet record 59/100
“While both articles discuss AI regulation and concerns, they describe different aspects of the topic on separate days, indicating distinct events or statements rather than a single incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
4%
1 of 23 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Technology
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6453 article(s) · 12 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 12 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Preston Mizell
14 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 Vice President JD Vance addressed Rep. Haley Stevens’, D-Mich., endorsement of GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers over his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, saying that he believes the endorsement will "certainly" help Rogers in the midterm.
🔮 As Republicans rally ahead of a midterm election that will determine whether the GOP maintains control of both chambers of Congress, Vice President JD Vance is taking to the campaign trail once again to speak with voters in New York and Ohio on Monday.
🔮 As Republicans rally ahead of a midterm election that will determine whether the GOP maintains control of both chambers of Congress, Vice President JD Vance is taking to the campaign trail once again to speak with voters in New York and Ohio on Monday.
🔮 FinCEN says the arrangements could obscure the ultimate recipients and potentially be exploited for money laundering or terrorist financing.
🔮 "A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right — and if you violate the terms of that privilege, you will lose it.
🔮 Fox News Digital first reported Amer Alowdi, 40, was indicted in 2022 and fled the country before he could face formal prosecution documents allege.
🔮 "If China wins, AI will be focused on espionage and propaganda and control and surveillance, because that's the Chinese Communist Party," Cruz said.
🔮 The media will tell you that yesterday, terrorists invaded Israel.
🔮 Moolenaar called for "clarification and transparency" regarding the organizations’ finances and questioned whether they should continue receiving tax-exempt status, adding that their political involvement may violate "campaign rules and political rules here in the United States." The significance of the week’s activity is heightened by the scale of Singham’s financial support for the network.
🔮 The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism will hold a hearing titled: "Always Watching: Flock’s Nationwide AI Surveillance Network" on Sept. 23.
Also by Preston Mizell
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 14 articles by Preston Mizell →

Topics

America American China Fox News Digital U.S.

Subjects

Fox News Digital ORG · 4× America GPE · 3× Michael PERSON · 3× Singham PERSON · 3× U.S. GPE · 3× the Department of War ORG · 3× American NORP · 2× China GPE · 2× Emil Michael PERSON · 1× Middle Eastern NORP · 1×

Narrative

Protests have popped up across the country against data centers and artificial intelligence advancements in general, with some lawmakers raising questions about the role that foreign influence plays in the demonstrations. "It's the same reason we saw Middle Eastern countries paying for anti-fracking movements," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview last month.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07

Claims (23 extracted, 1 hedged)

A top official at the Department of War discussed how artificial intelligence is playing a role in war readiness strategy, and said foreign adversaries are carrying out "psyop" operations to fuel the anti-data center and anti-artificial intelligence movement across the U.S. asserted
adversaries → discuss → U.S.
During an interview with Fox News Digital in the White House, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael warned that the movement to decrease production for artificial intelligence infrastructure is being pushed by America’s adversaries. asserted
movement → warn → adversaries
"It is natural from a propaganda standpoint that your adversary, who doesn't want you to be developing super intelligence ahead of them, is going to try to psyop your population into believing that. asserted
you → want → that
And to some degree, it's worked. asserted
it → work → degree
And I think that's why you see the president push back and say, ‘no, this is a good thing,’" he said. asserted
he → think → ?
Data center production has been at the center of debate ahead of the midterm elections, with lawmakers taking near-partisan stances as to whether developments should continue. asserted
developments → take → stances
Michael referred to data centers as the "electricity that fuels the superintelligence revolution," and explained that continued production of facilities are a crucial part of ensuring the U.S. maintains the lead in the artificial intelligence race. asserted
U.S. → refer → race
Protests have popped up across the country against data centers and artificial intelligence advancements in general, with some lawmakers raising questions about the role that foreign influence plays in the demonstrations. "It's the same reason we saw Middle Eastern countries paying for anti-fracking movements," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview last month. asserted
Cruz → pop → interview
"Because if they can convince America, 'Don't develop your oil and gas, just buy it from us,' well, that's great for them and terrible for us. asserted
that → convince → us
If they can convince Americans, 'You don't want data centers here, you want to just rely on the Chinese for AI,' that's great for China, and it's terrible for America." asserted
it → convince → America
Michael echoed some of Cruz’s concerns about foreign influence, though he did not specifically name China as the culprit. asserted
he → echo → culprit
Lawmakers have raised questions about hundreds of millions of dollars that American-born communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham pumped into nonprofits and organizations that are now among the leading organizations fighting data center development throughout the country. asserted
that → raise → country
Recipients of Singham's largesse include the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the ANSWER Coalition, both self-described pro-China communist groups. asserted
Recipients → include → Socialism
Last month, activists from both groups carried signs in a Chapel Hill, N.C., protest, merging anti-Trump sentiments with support for communist Cuba and opposition to data centers and AI development, including the message, "SHUT IT DOWN!" asserted
activists → carry → IT
Singham, a 72-year-old American who sold his tech company for $785 million in 2017 and now lives in Shanghai, is known to fund pro-Chinese Communist Party groups that operate in the U.S. asserted
that → sell → U.S.
He has funneled $278 million into the broad network of nonprofits since 2017, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. uncertain
He → funnel → investigation
The Party for Socialism and Liberation Boston, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose national chapter regularly partners with and supports the Singham network, posted to social media in July openly opposing data centers, saying the control of AI and data centers is in the hands of billionaires. asserted
control → partner → billionaires
"Workers are rising up across the country in a growing movement against the tech billionaires – from fights against data centers in hundreds of cities, to labor organizing at the world’s biggest tech corporations," the post read. asserted
post → rise → corporations
As for how the Department of War utilizes artificial intelligence, Michael told Fox News Digital that usage has skyrocketed since Secretary Pete Hegseth assumed the cabinet role, growing from roughly 70,000 users out of a 3.5 million-person workforce to approximately 1.7 million today. asserted
Hegseth → utilize → million
He explained that the Department of War is deploying artificial intelligence across three main areas: enterprise operations, warfighting and intelligence. asserted
Department → explain → areas
"We have incredible vignettes and stories about how people took 200 hours of work and combined it down to two hours," he added. asserted
he → have → hours
"They can see what we have as assets. asserted
we → see → assets
They can see what the adversary has as assets – they can time things better, they write quicker, they can consolidate orders quicker." asserted
they → see → orders
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