Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez introduce a bill to pause US data center construction

File this one under “things that might have a shot after the midterms.” On Wednesday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act. The bill would require an immediate pause on data center construction until specific new regulations are passed.

The legislation aims to address the problem that AI is advancing faster than Washington’s regulatory response (basically none) has kept pace. Despite its benefits, the technology poses grave threats to the job market and the environment. Rapidly advancing deepfakes could soon leave people unable to determine truth from fiction. (That is, more than online propaganda already has.) AI also makes mass surveillance easier than ever, potentially giving unelected tech leaders unfettered control over society.

“Last year alone, AI was responsible for over 54,000 layoffs nationwide,” Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said in a press conference. “And when we talk about those jobs, it’s not just a number. These are industries. These are communities. These are families… All of this harm has occurred not in spite of, but because of, the absence of federal legislation to regulate AI.”

The bill would mandate not only an immediate pause on new data center construction but also on the upgrading of existing ones. This moratorium would only be lifted after one or more laws were passed to provide federal oversight of AI products.

First, AI products would need to be proven safe for humanity. (That includes not just physical safety, but also areas like civil rights, privacy and public health.) The wealth AI generates would need to be shared with the American people, not just the billionaire tech bros pulling the strings. Protections would need to be in place to safeguard against mass unemployment. (Increasingly, companies are flat-out admitting that their layoffs are due to AI automation.)

The legislation would also require future data centers to be environmentally safe. They would need to avoid increasing electricity or other utility bills for Americans. AI data centers would have to create union jobs “with strong labor standards.” Communities affected by them would be empowered to approve or reject their construction or upgrades. And no government subsidies could be provided for them.

“A moratorium will give us time,” Sen. Sanders said. “Time to understand the risks. Time to protect working families. Time to defend our democracy. And time to ensure that technology works for all of us, not just the few.”

On the one hand, these could be popular proposals. In a December poll, 60 percent of Americans — including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents — said they supported more AI regulation.

However, in Washington’s current environment, well, don’t get your hopes up. AI companies are pouring enormous sums of money into campaigns for both political parties. The industry spent at least $83 million in federal elections last year — and that was an off-year without national elections. And of course, anti-regulatory Republicans currently control the presidency, both chambers of Congress and (essentially) the Supreme Court.

So, fat chance it goes anywhere right now. But depending on how the 2026 midterms (and beyond) shake out… who knows? One can dream, anyway.