The Debate - AI on the ballot? Voters in US midterms revolt against data centres

Americas

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Issued on: 21/10/2026 - 00:45

43:36 min

From the show

Reading time 1 min

Two weeks out from the Midterm elections, there’s bipartisan pushback against data centers that suck the water and power out of communities. Just two years ago, ChatGPT was still a brand new thing, and AI was admired with awe by most voters. Like in 2024, the hot button issue in swing constituencies remains inflation or ‘the price of eggs’. But anxiety over the end of the month is now coupled with anxiety over the end of the world. In 2026, bots and large language models write papers and churn out campaign ads. We'll ask about calls for regulation despite fierce resistance from tech billionaires and whether the latest wobbles from the stock market signal that the race to corner the market and scale up at warp speed may be running out of road.

Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.

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