Alberta AI town hall draws 12,500 amid calmer tone than earlier sessions
Premier Danielle Smith's government held its third public forum on AI data centres this month, switching to an online format after earlier sessions turned tense.
Why it matters
The province's push to attract AI data centres could bring jobs and investment, but has also drawn public pushback over safeguards and local impacts.
Premier Danielle Smith and three of her cabinet ministers spent an hour on Thursday fielding phone calls and online questions from Albertans about artificial intelligence data centres being built across the province during a virtual town hall.
Moderator Justin Wright, Alberta's primary care minister, said more than 12,500 people tuned in to the session. Residents could submit questions online, or by phone if they had registered in advance.
The virtual format was notably calmer than two in-person town halls held earlier in August, where Technology Minister Nate Glubish was repeatedly met with criticism, profanity and demands for additional safeguards from attendees.
Smith's government has been promoting Alberta as an attractive destination for data centre development, arguing the facilities could create new jobs and generate billions of dollars for the province.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.