Two citizens of the Muscogee Nation are gaining national attention for their leadership in protecting tribal lands from large-scale artificial intelligence development. Jordan Harmon and Mackenzie Roberts were featured in TIME magazine’s 2026 cover story, “The People vs. AI,” highlighting Americans pushing back against the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.
The story focuses on a proposed hyperscale data center project on Muscogee land in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. The project would have required rezoning tribal land, threatening agricultural space and local ecosystems. Harmon, a policy specialist with the Indigenous Environmental Network, and Roberts, who works with the Muscogee Nation Center for Victim Services, organized community meetings and town halls to inform tribal citizens about the proposal and its potential impacts.
Their efforts helped the Muscogee Nation National Council ultimately reject the project in November 2025, safeguarding the 5,500 acres purchased by the Nation in 2021 for food security, hunting, and cultural preservation.
Harmon told TIME that the project reflected “part of the legacy of colonialism and imperialism,” pointing to the historical exploitation of Indigenous lands for outside industries. The TIME feature frames Harmon and Roberts as part of a growing movement questioning AI’s societal impacts, showing how tribal sovereignty and environmental stewardship intersect with technology debates.
The TIME recognition shines a spotlight on Native-led leadership in environmental protection and Indigenous self-determination, emphasizing the importance of local voices in national conversations about emerging technologies.
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