Candidates Are Signing a Pact Promising Action on Data Centers and AI Safety
wired ·
More than 15 U.S. political candidates have signed the AI Pact, a pledge to regulate data centers and artificial intelligence through measures such as mandatory safety reviews, an AI dividend for workers, and allowing lawsuits over AI harms. The pact, created by the Political Integrity Project, is meant as a baseline for candidates, most of whom are Democrats, though it welcomes Republicans. It stops short of calling for a blanket moratorium on data centers, instead supporting policies to end tax breaks and backroom deals for them. Candidates like Dan Osborn of Nebraska, an independent running for Senate, say the issue resonates across the political spectrum, even finding common ground with a 'MAGA' voter. Some politicians, such as Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa, argue that current measures like Governor Abbott's moratorium are insufficient and that stronger laws are needed to protect people from an unregulated AI industry. The pledge comes amid growing debate over whether voters' concerns about data centers' environmental and community impacts are linked to broader fears about AI, with some officials taking voluntary steps while the pact demands mandatory protections.
wired