Inside the Democratic resistance on AI

Progressive Democrats taking hardline positions against AI are getting louder. Why it matters: Five influential progressives are shaping a confrontational Democratic message on AI, distinguishing themselves from party centrists by openly challenging data centers and AI-linked political money. At the center is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) , who has led the progressive anti-AI movement with proposals for: A moratorium on data centers. Collaborating with China on AI safety. Protecting workers from AI-fueled displacement. Sanders is also making AI a flashpoint in his long-held objection to money in politics, calling on Democrats not to take super PAC money, especially from AI-linked groups. He recently introduced the Abolish Super PACs Act and warned at a press conference unveiling the bill about the growing influence of AI super PACs. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is going all in on the data center moratorium push, holding up jars of brown, polluted water during a recent congressional hearing. The water came from Morgan County, Georgia, where a Meta data center was built, Ocasio-Cortez said in an exchange that went viral with Environmental Protection Agency official Jessica Kramer. Ocasio-Cortez said Congress should launch investigations into the impact of data centers on water quality. AOC has also sought to tackle AI deepfakes and impacts on children by co-sponsoring the DEFIANCE Act . Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) , who is co-sponsoring that bill in the House to take super PAC money out of politics, caught the ire of Silicon Valley when he came out in favor of a wealth tax He criticized data centers as largely "extractive" in an interview with Axios. Khanna has released his " Work for America " proposal, designed to hire one million Americans for public works and tech training as a safeguard against AI automation. His biggest break from Sanders has been stopping short of calling for a moratorium on data center con...

Original source: Axios