GoKawiil
Tech News
OpenAI recently hired Jessica Schumer, daughter of Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, and began referring to its data centers as 'compute campuses.' The moves come as tech companies that spent two years courting the Trump administration now seek to repair relationships with Democrats, who have signaled they want tighter AI oversight after the midterms shifted Washington's balance of power.
Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress in this week's midterm elections, with AI and data centers emerging as prominent campaign issues. Across the country, voters rejected more than 40 local ballot measures that would have supported new data center construction, reflecting concerns over the facilities' water and electricity use. Privacy advocacy groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, framed the results as a rebuke of Big Tech's influence despite heavy campaign spending by tech figures like Elon Musk.
On the latest Vergecast episode, hosts Nilay Patel and David Pierce discuss how Democratic gains in the 2026 midterms could reignite congressional attention on tech CEOs, AI regulation, and data center buildouts. They also examine whether AI companies, including OpenAI and Google, have found sustainable business models despite AI search growth and reported pullbacks in enterprise spending.
Meta took down multiple accounts that were sharing AI-generated videos depicting coaches inappropriately touching and kissing young athletes. The company had initially determined the content did not violate its community standards before reversing course and removing it.
Pope Leo XIV urged governments gathering in Geneva this month for a UN weapons conference to move toward banning lethal autonomous weapons systems, saying decisions involving human life and force must stay under human control. He also rejected granting AI legal personhood or rights, arguing machines remain tools built by humans who must retain accountability.
A wave of local and state ballot proposals is emerging across the United States addressing the rapid growth of AI data centers, with some measures designed to streamline approval of new facilities and others aimed at blocking them outright. The split reflects growing political division over how communities should respond to the infrastructure demands of the AI boom.
President Javier Milei is pitching Argentina, particularly Patagonia, as an unregulated hub for AI data centers, meeting with executives from OpenAI, Amazon, Google, Oracle and venture capitalist Peter Thiel. Records show data center firm Crusoe has also sought talks with Argentine energy officials about U.S.-backed investments, while Polish firm Green Capital plans a $3 billion data center in Patagonia to lease to tech companies.
OpenAI is preparing a public relations campaign to launch after Tuesday's midterm elections, according to Axios. Chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane outlined plans including AI 'speed limits,' efforts to frame AI as empowering for everyday people, pushing U.S. leadership on global AI standards, and rebranding unpopular data centers as 'AI compute campuses.'
In a papal address, Pope Leo XIV called for AI systems to be 'disarmed' and urged UN member states to pursue a ban on lethal autonomous weapons ahead of talks in Geneva next month. He said machines are tools rather than persons and warned against granting AI legal rights, insisting human oversight must remain over decisions involving life, freedom and force.
An analysis argues that AI and social-media companies focus safety efforts on preventing high-profile disasters—the kind that trigger lawsuits or headlines—while ignoring subtler, widespread harms like emotional dependence on chatbots or engagement-driven feeds. It cites Google backing state-level chatbot bills in 2025 that banned sexual content and self-harm promotion but included broad exemptions, while tougher measures aimed at preventing emotional dependency failed, including in Nebraska.
A new survey from AI accountability group Guardrails Action found that voters in Iowa, Michigan and Ohio largely hold negative views of the AI industry despite massive political spending by figures like Elon Musk and the Leading The Future Super PAC. Three in four of over 3,000 likely voters surveyed said they'd be less likely to back a candidate who took money from an AI Super PAC, and a quarter said they'd switch parties for a candidate opposing AI companies and data centers.
Peter Burke, Ireland's minister for enterprise, outlined the country's ambitions to capture more of the global AI investment boom. He addressed how Europe's regulatory stance, including the EU's AI Act that began phasing in during 2025, is evolving as governments try to balance oversight with economic competitiveness.