Activists write ‘naw’ to AI on beach as execs set to fly in for summit with King

Activists have written a giant anti-AI message on a beach under the flight path of artificial intelligence executives set to fly in for a summit with the King this week.

The campaigners wrote “AI? EH NAW” (meaning ‘AI? er, no’ when translated from Scots slang) in the sand at Prestwick beach, South Ayrshire, on Tuesday, near the local airport.

The group are opposed to three proposed data centre developments across Ayrshire, including a 540MW facility at Hurlford, near Kilmarnock.

The campaigners say that the data centres will deplete much of Scotland’s natural resources, and have also asked the Scottish Government to introduce a moratorium on such facilities being built.

Charles will host AI executives at a summit at Dumfries House in Ayrshire this week.

Lisa Beacham, 29, is a Kilmarnock resident and coordinated Tuesday’s demonstration.

She said: “At the moment, the scale of what is being proposed is completely unprecedented for this country and for many countries in Europe.”

She added: “King Charles has an absolutely fantastic reputation as an environmentalist, so we’re really keen that King Charles will use his influence and position to explain to these tech bosses that what they’re doing is highly dangerous, especially as we do have our own UN obligations for the climate.

“The taxpayer will not be picking up the scraps of the carbon use that will be used for these datacentres so we really hope King Charles plans to lay down the law here.”

Campaigner Roz Lauchlin, 68, of West Kilbride, said: “We really need a moratorium because this is going far too fast.

“People aren’t ready, lots of people aren’t on board with this at all, and we need a moratorium to give decision makers time to catch up and to find out exactly what the implications of all this could really be for Scotland.”

On Wednesday, the Scottish Parliament will debate a motion on the introduction of a moratorium on planning applications for new hyperscale data centres until a national strategy and updated planning guidance are produced.

Campaigners have raised concerns about up to 21 proposed data centres across Scotland, with charity Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS) suggesting the number of jobs such centres would create have been exaggerated.

A report by the charity also said diesel generators needed to run a data centre in Edinburgh could be as bad for the environment as more than 100,000 idling cars.

Kat Jones, director of APRS, said: “I’ve never seen grassroots energy like this. Communities are mobilising around the country to oppose local hyperscale data centres.

“The consequences of this buildout for the economy, cost of living and the environment will be unprecedented.

“We are asking the Scottish Government to implement a temporary moratorium on hyperscale data centre development until the impacts have been fully assessed.

“This week, the King is hosting a meeting in Scotland to discuss AI. We believe he is gathering a group, not just of tech bros, but also of cautious voices, such as the adviser to the Pope.

“We have written to him to request that the communities affected by hyperscale AI data centres in Scotland be invited to take part as well.”

The Scottish Government and Buckingham Palace have been approached for comment.