The Hum
The Hum is a podcast hosted by Saul Levin that explores who controls the future, featuring interviews with individuals resisting the encroachment of AI and data centers into daily life. The show is produced in partnership with Rowhome Productions.
Episodes
"We're talking about it because the people are talking about it"
An interview with Michigan candidates Abdul El Sayed and William Lawrence. Abdul El Sayed and William Lawrence are running to represent Michigan in the Senate and House, respectively. Both have leaned in hard in their opposition to runaway data center buildout and now enjoy unexpected leads in primary polling. We discuss how these issues became front and center, what they hope to do about them, a
“Everybody is blind to partisan lines:” Indiana’s unifying fight against data centers
Facing a tidal wave of AI data center development and complex corporate takeover in Indiana, residents in all corners of the state have come together to notch stunning victories against big tech. Kerwin Olson and Ben Inskeep of the Indiana Citizen Action Coalition discuss their work with neighbors in dozens of counties to stop outside companies from gobbling up energy, water, and land. Message us
‘Ask your auntie, not AI’: How Seminole Nation permanently banned data centers
The Seminole Nation in Oklahoma has made international headlines with their unanimously passed ban on AI data centers on their lands. Indigenous organizer Ash Nicole Lamont and Mekusukey Band Representative Chebon Kernell, who introduced the legislation, tell the fascinating story of their community’s successful resistance. They outline the threats of AI data centers to language, tradition, and s
“What about the air?”
Taylor Frazier McCollum left her job at a beauty salon in Landover, Maryland after seeing a video about a data center. She organized with her clients and neighbors to win a data center moratorium in her town. Taylor’s story of using the relationship building and organizational skills of her trade to keep her town safe reveals the power each of us has to step up and take on big tech. Message us on
“I’m in this fight because I love technology”
Kate Brennan of the AI Now Institute is a leading national expert on the rapid development of AI and data centers and a vocal advocate for regular people to have a say in emerging technology. She talks about her journey as a technology loving Google employee, the policy toolkit she wrote for local officials, and what you can do to fight data centers near you. Message us on Instagram @thehumpod to
They’ll Pave Paradise Just to Put Up a Data Center
Emily Waldron is a social worker and farmer who harvests trees to become telephone poles in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. In our discussion, we explore the home she loves and the reasons she and her neighbors of all ages have banded together to organize tractor parades, town halls, and community meetings to protect the rich soils that fuel their way of life from Silicon Valley tech companies. M
The People vs AI
This is the first episode of The Hum!Journalist Andrew Chow’s TIME cover story included conversations with people fighting data centers and AI all over the US. In our discussion, we dig deep into why people are rising up, who they’re up against and what they’re fighting for. The overview provides a foundation for the interviews with activists and researchers to come. Message us on Instagram @theh
Introducing The Hum
The Hum is a podcast about who controls the future - interviews with people fighting the rapid expansion of AI and data centers for the profits of a few.Weekly episode of The Hum are coming in May 2026. Subscribe now and tell everyone you know about the show. The Hum is produced in partnership with Rowhome Productions.
