Queen guitarist Brian May has urged Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to act against AI data-centre development, calling the facilities a “massive evil” and saying he is “terrified” by the social consequences he fears. The remarks, reported by The Independent on 3 October 2026, are May’s warning and personal judgment—not evidence that the harms he predicts are inevitable.
What Brian May said to Andy Burnham
May addressed Burnham directly, urging him to stop or pause data-centre development tied to AI. In comments quoted by The Independent, May said: “We’re facing a moral dilemma: you can’t hide from this thing, but it’s turning us into a very different civilisation and personally I’m terrified.” He also warned: “These tech billionaires do not have our interests at heart.”
May’s argument is not that AI has no uses. The Independent quoted him acknowledging that “We all like AI. It helps us write emails. It’s even saved a few lives,” before adding that “the harm it is bringing to the world is immense.” These are his assessments; the coverage does not independently establish the scale of either the benefits or the harms.
Why he objects to AI and its infrastructure
Creative work and artists’ contributions
May’s concern includes the effect of AI on creative work. The Independent reports that he cancelled a video for his song “My Angels Are Calling” after its directors acknowledged using AI. May explained: “AI would have stolen the angels from some artist, so they had to go.” That captures his objection to using generated imagery in a project where he believed an artist’s contribution should have been present.
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Data centres and the prospect of greater control
May’s criticism also extends beyond individual AI-generated works to the facilities that support AI systems. MusicRadar’s interview coverage describes him calling for a moratorium on data centres and voicing concern that AI could eventually control people. Those predictions are fears May has expressed, not outcomes demonstrated by the reports.
The Independent reports that May designed a Queen immersive experience but would not proceed until it could be made without AI. MusicRadar also discusses an AI-dependent Queen avatar-show concept, which May was less keen on. The distinction matters: the reported decision concerned an immersive experience he designed, while the avatar-show coverage supplies related context; it is not accurate to say he cancelled a Queen show.
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What Burnham’s role does—and does not—establish
The Independent characterizes Burnham as wanting the UK to lead on rules to prevent rogue AI while recognizing possible uses in healthcare, education, defence and economic development. This frames a policy tension: concerns about control, creative ownership and infrastructure impacts sit alongside areas where AI may be applied for public or economic benefit. The reporting does not provide a quantified comparison of those costs and benefits.
The available coverage does not establish Burnham’s legal or planning authority over specific data-centre proposals. May’s appeal to him should therefore not be read as proof that the mayor can personally block every project. The article reports a political call for action, not a confirmed power to veto developments nationwide.
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What the reported UK figures say—and their limits
The Independent reports that a Water UK submission to Parliament earlier in 2026 estimated data-centre water use equivalent to that of 20,000 average homes. The underlying report, methodology and exact scope are not established in the coverage available here, so the figure should be understood as an estimate attributed to Water UK by The Independent, not an independently verified measurement.
The same article reports more than 100 UK data centres in varying stages of development and over 500 already established. It does not identify an independently checked dataset behind those counts. They provide context for the scale of the debate, but should not be treated as verified statistics on the strength of this report alone.
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What May’s intervention does—and does not—show
May’s comments connect three distinct concerns: whether AI displaces or appropriates human creative work, who controls increasingly capable systems, and what resource demands follow from the infrastructure supporting them. His cancelled video and decision to hold back an AI-dependent Queen experience show how those concerns have influenced his own projects.
They do not settle the broader debate. The reports document May’s views and project decisions, alongside policy context and attributed infrastructure figures; they do not provide a balanced technical assessment of AI’s social effects or independently prove that the outcomes May fears will occur.
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