AI data centers haven't replaced everyone's jobs yet, but they've revived an ancient trade: copper theft.

According to foreign media reports, investigators recently recovered two stolen trailers near Chicago, containing about $1.3 million worth of data center supplies.

One trailer held roughly $300k worth of copper wire, stolen from Alabama; the other contained about $1 million in infrastructure equipment, stolen from Florida.

Previously, discussions about AI infrastructure revolved around keywords like GPU, chips, computing power, electricity, water, and data centers. On the construction site, the keywords suddenly shift to: copper wire, trailers, and black markets.

The AI revolution is still debating whether it will eliminate jobs, but data center construction sites have already spawned a new vertical industry.

It's not called employment. It's called "theft supply chain."

Whether AI is actually a job killer may be debated for a long time.

But one thing is certain: AI infrastructure doesn't just attract capital—it also draws another kind of "ancillary industry."