Just two weeks before the United States midterm elections, bipartisan opposition is emerging against data centers, which are accused of excessively drawing on local communities’ water and energy resources, reports France 24.
Two years ago, ChatGPT was still a novelty and artificial intelligence inspired admiration among most voters. Today, in 2026, bots and large language models are capable of drafting documents and producing campaign advertisements, fueling a certain anxiety.
While in 2024, inflation and the cost of essential goods like eggs dominated debates in swing districts, this year environmental concerns and fears of a global catastrophe are adding to economic worries.
Calls for regulation of artificial intelligence are being heard despite strong resistance from tech billionaires. Furthermore, recent stock market turbulence may indicate that the frenzied race to dominate the market and accelerate rapid growth of data centers could be reaching its limits.