Do YOU live in an AI danger zone? Former Air Force colonel warns people living near data centres could be 'targeted or killed' by rogue machines

Published: 05:41 EDT, 8 October 2026 | Updated: 05:41 EDT, 8 October 2026 People who live near data centres could be targeted by rogue AI, a retired Air Force colonel has warned.Drew Miller, a former intelligence officer and Pentagon official, claims residents living near AI hubs could find themselves in the firing line if the technology escapes human command.In a report, published by his advocacy group Collapse Survival Institute, he warns: ‘People living near AI data centres may be targeted as proxies for human control and resistance’.He cites concerns raised by Jacob Coxon, a former employee at AI firm Anthropic, who has warned that researchers still do not fully understand how to reliably control the most advanced AI systems. Some AI experts have estimated there is a greater than 10 per cent chance that artificial intelligence could ultimately cause humanity's extinction, underscoring fears about the technology's rapid development. The report reads: ‘We cannot control technology that is smarter than humans. The rogue AGI (artificial general intelligence) threat is very real.‘A super-intelligent AGI will rationally conclude that humans pose the greatest threat to its continued existence — because we are the only ones capable of shutting it down.’ The report reads: ‘We cannot control technology that is smarter than humans.' Pictured: Skynet in the Terminator filmsThe report warns that to neutralise any threat from humans, a rogue AI could develop and deploy new biological agents, viruses or toxins via drones and robots. ‘It could commandeer autonomous systems – drones, robots, industrial control systems and power infrastructure,’ it adds.‘It could do all of this using a language and communication humans can’t even understand, before any human knew it was planning to attack - and in a manner humans can’t stop.‘This is not science fiction.’Dr Miller goes on to explain that humans who wish to survive a rogue AI takeover do not want to live anywhere near resources that the AI will value.This includes data centres, major power plants and transmission lines.‘Communities near autonomous vehicle facilities, drone testing sites, or robotics manufacturing hubs face heightened exposure,’ he added. Concerns about AI's risk to the world hit a fever pitch after senior researchers at Anthropic claimed they 'earnestly believe AI could kill all humans' Data centres, which house powerful computers used in everything from AI to online banking, are becoming increasingly common in Britain and are classified by the government as critical national infrastructureBritain is in the midst of a data-centre boom as tech giants race to build the infrastructure needed to power AI.The UK Government has designated data centres as critical national infrastructure and estimates the country's capacity could more than double by 2030 as demand for AI computing surges.Major facilities have sprung up around London, Slough, Manchester, South Wales and Scotland.However, the projects are facing fierce resistance from local campaigners who warn the warehouse-sized facilities consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, generate noise pollution and can dramatically alter surrounding communities.A similar battle is playing out across the United States, where the AI boom has triggered a wave of data-centre construction.In the report, Dr Miller calls on the US Congress to place a ‘moratorium on the construction of new AI data centres’, mandate ‘mandatory “kill switch” infrastructure requirements for all frontier AI systems’ and implement ‘full transparency requirements for frontier AI labs.’According to experts, part of what makes the risk so alarming is that there are multiple possible paths to humanity's annihilation.A list of AI 'worst-case scenarios' ranges from creating political chaos with misinformation to irrevocably changing the planet's environment.Experts also suggest that AI's fatal blow could come from the technology's capacity to build and harness weapons of mass destruction.As the world's superpowers race to build more powerful bots, a rogue or simply unpredictable AI could seize nuclear or biological weapons and wipe humanity from the Earth.