The social media platform X has disclosed the results of an investigation into "suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts" involved in influence operations, identifying a bot farm of roughly 200,000 accounts. Within that network, about 200 accounts were actively posting content in a way that could distort genuine debate over U.S. artificial intelligence and energy policy.

"The X Safety team conducted an investigation into suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts involved in influence operations: We identified a bot farm of approximately 200,000 accounts. Within this farm, we found 200 accounts posting in a manner that could manipulate a legitimate debate about American AI and energy policy," the company said in a post on its X Global Government Affairs account (post).

"These posts contained claims that AI data centers are driving up household electricity prices and straining the grid. Others included AI-generated cartoons that depicted data-center operators enriching themselves at the public's expense," the post continued.

"We remain committed to maintaining an open and authentic platform where people debate topics of public interest. We take seriously any attempts to undermine the integrity of the global town square and suspend accounts that violate our Authenticity policy," the notice concluded.

The post included several screenshots of example content. One showed what appeared to be an anti-data center comic strip titled, "DATA CENTERS GET SUBSIDIZED WHILE WE FOOT THE BILL!" with a message at the bottom reading, "ELECTRICITY RATEPAYERS GET STUCK WITH THE COST!"

The disclosure is the latest example of suspected China-linked networks attempting to amplify divisive U.S. policy debates on social media. Other major platforms, including Meta, have previously reported takedowns of coordinated Chinese influence operations that posted on both sides of American political issues, a tactic researchers associate with efforts to deepen domestic division rather than to advocate a single position. X did not attribute the bot farm to a specific organization or state entity.

The takedown also lands amid a genuine, homegrown debate. Data centers have become a subject of ongoing contention across the United States, driven by concerns in local communities about environmental impacts and energy costs, as surging AI computing demand pushes utilities and grid planners to reassess capacity. New York recently became the first state to freeze new AI data centers, a move critics warn could drive away jobs (Fox Business).

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the issue in a post on X last week, writing, "The concerns by citizens from across the political spectrum re: hyperscale data centers are rooted in distrust of these Big Tech titans and their designs on expanding tech power over the citizenry. It's not just — or even mainly — about concerns about water and power usage."

Others, including President Donald Trump, have emphasized the need to prevent China from outpacing the United States in AI-related advancements (Fox Business).

In part of a Truth Social post last month, the president asserted, "The Radical Left Dumocrats must not be allowed to cause us to lose Data Centers, AI, and all of this incredible new Technology, to China, and other countries!" (Truth Social).