Voters Said No to AI Data Centers More Than 40 Times on Tuesday. The Industry Won Once.

Today's stories share a theme: AI is running into the real world. Voters are saying no to the buildings, schools are saying no to the software, and the companies selling it are still quoting very big numbers they'd like you to take on faith. Here's what's solid and what isn't.

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What happened: According to Route Fifty, data center backers won just one of more than 40 local votes held Tuesday across 10 states, based on preliminary tallies. Ohio had the most races, close to 20 localities, and opponents won every one. Emporia, Kansas passed a ban on large "high impact" data centers with just over 60% of the vote. The one win for data centers came in Harwood, North Dakota, where voters rejected a charter change that would have required an independent review and public hearing for big industrial projects. Counts vary by outlet, with Tom's Hardware reporting 45 measures, and some of the votes are advisory rather than binding.

Why it matters to you: AI runs on buildings, and buildings need local permission. If you rely on AI tools, this is a slow-moving risk to cost and capacity, because the companies behind them are committing hundreds of billions of dollars to computing power while neighbors are now voting on where it goes. Your tools won't stop working tomorrow. But power and land are real limits, not just talking points.

What to do about it: Nothing today. If a data center is proposed near you, read the actual ballot language before reacting to headlines.

What happened: Adam Fry, who leads ChatGPT's consumer product, said search volume in ChatGPT is roughly one-fifth of the volume of queries on Google, according to 9to5Google. His definition of a search is any time you ask a question and ChatGPT goes to the web. Gizmodo points out that this is vague and that OpenAI did not say where its Google comparison number comes from. Fry also said ChatGPT has 1.2 billion weekly active users, up about 200 million in two months.

Why it matters to you: If customers ask ChatGPT where to buy or who to hire, showing up in those answers matters now, not someday. But the figure is OpenAI's own and no one outside the company has audited it, so don't rebuild your marketing around one number.

What to do about it: Ask ChatGPT the questions your customers ask about your business and see what it says about you.

Most marketing events send you home with a notebook full of ideas and a to-do list you never get to. The Epic Marketing Summit is built to end differently. It's a 2-day live event in Miami this January where you build a working AI-powered sales funnel and vibe code your own AI app on-site, so you walk out with a finished asset instead of notes.

It's made for business owners who want their sales process to run as a system instead of running on their own time and energy. You're hands-on the whole way, which means no sitting back and watching slides. Last year's event sold out, and it's back for January 2027 with a bigger AI focus. Here's my honest angle: I wasn't there last year, and I had major FOMO about it. I know a lot of the trainers, and they weren't talking theory. They've actually done the work. I'm going in January, and if you're serious about building leverage into how you sell, I'd like to see you there too. January is closer than it feels, so don't sit on this one. Grab your spot here

What happened: Google announced Tuesday that Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Google Search will be entirely off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly turn them on, according to Google's blog. The controls roll out over the coming months. Google's education chief told The New York Times that Search and AI are deeply integrated, so students at schools that ban AI tools won't have access to Search, as Engadget reported. Google is also walking back an August change that had switched on some AI features by default in Classroom after educators pushed back.

Why it matters to you: This is a preview of a pattern: AI bundled into products you already use, with the off switch tied to the thing you actually need. If you buy software for a team, ask vendors whether AI can be turned off without losing core features.

What to do about it: If you manage Google accounts for students, watch for Google's briefing to schools over the coming months.

What happened: Apple said Tuesday that, starting with its 27.3 betas, any developer can connect an app to Siri AI through a developer preview. Apps can hand Siri their content and custom actions, like checking a delivery or booking a reservation, and Apple is adding "skills" to help Siri combine several actions into one request, according to Apple's developer news post. It is still beta. Apple says it ships to customers in a few months, with App Store submissions opening in the spring, and Siri AI is currently unavailable in the EU on iPhone.

Why it matters to you: Someday a customer may tell Siri to book an appointment with your shop. That only works if your booking, ordering, or delivery app supports it, and that depends on your software vendors, not you. Nothing changes for you this month.

What to do about it: Ask the company behind your booking or ordering app whether Siri support is on their roadmap.

What happened: Adobe reported that in September, visits to U.S. retail sites that came from AI chatbots and assistants generated 83% more revenue per visit and converted 90% better than other traffic, per Adobe's blog. Those visitors also spent 73% more time on site and added items to carts 53% more often. Adobe found the average retail homepage scored 63% on how readable it is to AI, while setup guides, spec pages, and customer service pages scored higher. Every figure is for September 2026 only and comes from Adobe's own retail data.

Why it matters to you: Adobe says AI traffic to retail sites grew 71% year over year in September, and the shoppers who arrive are further along in deciding. The practical point is plain: AI recommends what it can read. Clear product details, FAQs, and return policies help. Flashy, promotion-heavy homepages don't.

What to do about it: Add a plain-English FAQ, clear specs, and your return policy to your website this month.

If you've ever felt like growing a business alone is the hardest part, you're not imagining it. Ignite Mastermind is an annual membership built for entrepreneurs who are still under $1 million a year in revenue and want a room of peers, real structure, and the right tools to get past that milestone.

Inside, you get 6 to 8 live virtual workshops a year, each normally priced somewhere between $97 and $997 on its own, plus tickets to 2 in-person multi-day live events. You also get an all-in-one marketing software suite that replaces over $5,000 a month in separate tools, and weekly mentorship calls with Perry Belcher and his team. My personal bonus is monthly accountability and business development calls with me. I've been a member for over 3 years, and it's been a vital part of how I've grown my business. Some of my closest friends and a few real business partners came directly out of that room. If you're looking for a mastermind to move you to your next milestone, this is where I'd point you. See if Ignite is your room here

What happened: CrowdStrike announced an AI Kill Switch on Tuesday that lets an authorized admin shut down a rogue AI agent, block it from relaunching, and cut its access to the company network, with every action logged, according to CrowdStrike's press release. It is part of its Falcon Guardian product and the company says it's available today. Stopping an agent on the device itself is listed as "soon," so for now it works at the gateway. No pricing was announced.

Why it matters to you: As businesses let AI agents send emails, move files, and click through software, someone has to be able to hit stop. This product is aimed at security teams at larger companies, not a small shop. The takeaway for you: any AI agent with access to your accounts should have limited permissions and an off switch you know how to use.

What to do about it: List every AI tool that can act on your accounts, and confirm you know how to revoke its access.

What happened: The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the plans, that Anthropic expects more than 3.5 gigawatts of computing capacity by the end of this year and aims to double it next year, per a summary on Investing.com. The same summary notes Anthropic's updated IPO filing lists about $895.4 billion in purchase and lease commitments, with nearly $70 billion coming due over the next 12 months. These are reported plans, not finished buildouts, and I could not find Anthropic confirming the doubling itself.

Why it matters to you: More capacity should mean fewer usage limits and outages over time. But the bills behind it are enormous, and eventually customers pay them through pricing. Plan on AI costs as a line item that can move, not a fixed one.

Every story today is the real world pushing back on AI. Voters are deciding where the buildings go, schools are deciding who gets the tools, security teams are building off switches, and the biggest search claim of the week can't be checked by anyone but the company that made it. The hype says AI is unstoppable. The reality is a pile of local, boring, human decisions. Use the tools, check the claims, keep an off switch within reach, and stop the rollercoaster at the stop that makes sense for your business.

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Talk tomorrow,
Mark Shilensky

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