Chuck Schumer’s intervention gives Democrats leverage to demand stronger protections from AI data-center developers

Platform regulation, artificial intelligence, surveillance, data privacy and the antitrust scrutiny of large firms, as they are argued in American politics. A domain where federal law lags well behind deployment, leaving states and the courts to set the boundaries instead.

Opposition to AI data centers is mobilizing across the political spectrum, from environmental campaigners to former Tea Party conservatives, over electricity costs, water use and the tax breaks states grant operators. Figures from Bernie Sanders to Donald Trump have taken up the issue.