Politics Comes For American Ai Benton Org

The rapacious energy needs of data centers finally seem to have taken a political toll. In recent elections, candidates in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere ran—and won—on voters’ frustration with rising utility bills caused partly by America’s enormous AI buildout. This could have consequences for tech companies expanding in the U.S., which still need to build giant centers for their AI ambitions, but now find themselves on the wrong end of a political issue. But it also impacts America on the global stage. A nation where tech infrastructure is suddenly a bogeyman could find itself at a disadvantage—especially as global rivals race to fill the infrastructural gaps and expand their own AI economies. Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214 Wilmette, IL 60091

© 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved. As a growing number of public agencies look to implement tools and programs that rely on artificial intelligence (AI), elected officials and senior agency leadership have important roles to play in promoting the responsible... Effective governance and oversight of AI is critical for state and local governments to realize good value from their AI projects, increase efficiency, build and maintain public trust, avoid failed AI projects and public... House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said that a sect of Republicans is now “looking at other places” to potentially pass a federal measure that would block states from passing AI laws for a... Other Republicans opposed including the AI preemption in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

For months, President Trump has pressured the Republican-led Congress to block state AI laws that the president claims could bog down innovation as AI firms waste time and resources complying with a patchwork of... President Donald Trump has emerged as perhaps America’s most important cheerleader for artificial intelligence this year, releasing a milestone AI Action Plan over the summer and a flurry of executive orders to encourage the... AT&T has demanded a federal court order to halt T-Mobile's new "Easy Switch" tool, claiming that it uses AI bots to unlawfully access and scrape customer data. This report examines the Responsible AI ecosystem in 2025, highlighting the field’s most impactful resources and tracing its contributions toward developing concrete governance, assurance, and public-interest infrastructure to support the adoption of Responsible AI... Five key takeaways: Sen Mark Kelly (D-AZ) released AI for America, a new roadmap to make AI work for all Americans by making big AI companies part of the solution.

At the center of the plan is the AI Horizon Fund, a federal fund fueled by contributions from leading AI companies that would provide the resources needed to reinvest in workers, infrastructure, and responsible... This approach ensures that AI growth benefits Americans while sustaining innovation, creating a positive cycle that strengthens the foundations on which America’s AI lead is built. "Calling on AI companies to be good partners is just common sense. But while AI policy roadmaps are everywhere these days, few address the real question: How will the big ideas be funded and sustained over the long term? I propose a bold new solution—a fund, fueled by contributions from leading AI companies, designed to reinforce the very national strengths they need to continue thriving here in America." Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214 Wilmette, IL 60091

© 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved. Ahead of the 2024 U.S. election, there was widespread fear that generative artificial intelligence (AI) presented an unprecedented threat to democracy. Just six weeks before the election, more than half of Americans said they were “extremely or very concerned” that AI would be used to spread misleading information. Intelligence officials warned that these technologies would be used by foreign influence campaigns to undermine trust in democracy, and that growing access to AI tools would lead to a deluge of political deepfakes.

This premature, “sky is falling” narrative was based on very little evidence, something we warned about. But while it seems clear that the worst predictions about AI didn’t come to pass, it’s similarly impetuous to claim that 2024 was the “AI election that wasn’t,” that “we were deepfaked by deepfakes,”... In reality, too little data is available to draw concrete conclusions. We know this because, for the past several months, our research team has tried to build a comprehensive database tracking the use of AI in political communications. But despite our best efforts, we found this task nearly impossible, in part due to a lack of transparency from online platforms. Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214 Wilmette, IL 60091

© 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved. Artificial intelligence is increasingly emerging as a key wedge issue — not between the major political parties, but within them. On the right, MAGA populists and influencers are warning about the potential hazards of unrestricted AI development as President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and their administration have pushed for minimal regulations in... On the left, progressives are fighting against potential AI-fueled job losses and a further consolidation of financial power by Big Tech as center-left Democrats weigh the unknown downsides of technological advancement with major investments... Potential 2028 presidential contenders — from Vance and Missouri Sen.

Josh Hawley on the right, to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the left — are all carving out unique lanes on the issue, creating some unusual bedfellows. Ocasio-Cortez is among the potential 2028 candidates who have highlighted growing concerns in recent weeks. Last month, she raised the potential for a market downturn fueled by what some are calling an AI bubble, warning at a congressional hearing of “2008-style threats to economic stability.” Using artificial intelligence to identify congressional districts where independent candidates could win, an organization called the Independent Center is aiming to disrupt the two-party system.

Artificial intelligence is changing the way many Americans approach problems. Students look to ChatGPT to finish their homework assignments, honeymooners ask it to plan their trips. People even turn to chatbots for advice on their love lives. And now an organization suggests that AI is the key to reshaping American politics. NPR's Barbara Sprunt brings us this report. BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: Brett Loyd, a political operative who used to work as a pollster for Donald Trump when he was a candidate, opens his laptop and shows me an AI tool he thinks...

BRETT LOYD: We're looking at tens of thousands of social media posts. Right now, it's highly polarized, right? And we can go in though and see, like, what is the center talking about? We can break this out - age groups, partisan groups, any question that we have. SPRUNT: Loyd runs a nonpartisan data firm and oversees the polling and research at the Independent Center, an organization that studies independent voters. Its goal is to elect a handful of independents to the House of Representatives next year, a bold target in a system that hasn't seen a new independent candidate win a seat in 35...

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more embedded in everyday life, public opinion is playing a growing role in shaping how policymakers respond to the technology’s rapid development. Are Americans hopeful about AI’s potential or wary of unintended consequences? Which sectors do they trust AI to transform, and where do they want more guardrails? A discussion of new polling data exploring how U.S. public sentiment toward AI is evolving. The conversation will unpack where Americans see promise or peril, how their views have shifted over the past year, and what these perspectives mean for lawmakers, business leaders, and the future of AI policy.

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214 Wilmette, IL 60091 © 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved. Here’s what to expect in the midterm elections. AI's influence on the 2026 electoral cycle will be greater than what many feared leading to 2024, warn Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders. In a new piece for The American Prospect, the pair identify three distinct electoral elements - campaigns, organizers, and citizenry - on which AI is expected to have enormous impacts.

In the meantime, they note that the AI experimentation currently underway can tell us what to expect in future elections. OpenAI's policy proposals for extending America’s global leadership in artificial intelligence innovation, ensuring equitable access to AI, and driving economic growth across communities nationwide. As AI becomes more advanced, we believe America needs to act now to maximize the technology’s possibilities while minimizing its harms. AI is too powerful to be led and shaped by autocrats, while the economic opportunity AI presents is too compelling to forfeit. As our CEO Sam Altman has written, AI will soon help our children do things we can’t. Not far off is a future in which everyone’s lives can be better than anyone’s life is now.

With such prosperity in sight, we want to work with policymakers to ensure that AI’s benefits are shared responsibly and equitably. This blueprint is designed to support the entrepreneurship and individual freedoms that have long been at the heart of the American innovation ecosystem. If done right, the developers who are AI’s Main Street will thrive along with companies of all sizes, and the broad economic benefits of the technology will catalyze a reindustrialization across the country. Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214 Wilmette, IL 60091 © 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.

People Also Search

• Politics comes for American AI - benton.org
• Artificial Intelligence | Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
• Politics comes for American AI - POLITICO
• AI for America | Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
• When it comes to understanding AI's impact on elections, we're still ...
• AI becomes a political wedge issue, creating odd bedfellows across parties
• This organization is trying to use AI to reshape American politics
• How Americans Feel About AI—and Why It Matters for Policy
• AI Is Changing How Politics Is Practiced in America
• AI in America : OpenAI's Economic Blueprint - benton.org