Overview
- Sen. Bernie Sanders called for a moratorium on building new AI data centers and pressed to slow development, warning of worker displacement and raising concerns about youth reliance on chatbots.
- Geoffrey Hinton said AI’s rapid gains could replace many more roles in 2026, noting progress in tasks like call-center work and forecasting far fewer people needed for software projects.
- Evidence remains mixed: an MIT study estimates AI can already automate tasks equal to roughly 11%–12% of the U.S. labor market, while analysts report no clear macro-level job losses to date.
- Companies and investors are still expanding: tech giants spent tens of billions on data centers in 2025, even as questions grow about energy costs, local impacts and potential overbuilding.
- Governance is contested as President Trump’s order seeks a single national AI standard that pre-empts state rules, and senators proposed quarterly reporting on AI-related layoffs to track real-world effects.