More than 15 politicians running for office across the United States have signed the AI Pact, a pledge committing them to five specific promises around regulating data centers and artificial intelligence, according to a report published by WIRED. The initiative emerges as worries about data centers have surged during the midterm election cycle, with voters increasingly concerned about environmental damage, secretive construction processes, and the corporate influence behind these facilities. The pact's creators describe it as establishing "a needed baseline to ensure a humanity-first future."
The AI Pact includes commitments to advocate for required safety reviews for AI models, back policies creating an AI dividend for workers, and guarantee that consumers and businesses can take legal action over damage caused by models, the report details. On data centers specifically, signers promise to "support policies that would ban tax breaks, backroom deals, and excessive energy usage for data centers" rather than calling for an outright construction halt. Every current signer except Dan Osborn, a Nebraska Senate candidate running as an independent against Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts, is a Democrat, though organizers say they'd welcome Republican signers. Notable signatories include Representative Justin Pearson, a Tennessee Democrat who gained national attention challenging pollution from SpaceX's data centers, and Will Lawrence, a Michigan candidate who won a competitive primary in a district where data center opposition runs high.
Daniel Lobo-Lewis, one of the pact's founders, says he and his cofounders developed the five promises by connecting with AI safety organizations and political groups working on AI legislation. The pledge originates from the Political Integrity Project, an organization focused on reducing money's influence in politics that operates a similar candidate commitment. Progressive political action committee funding supports the AI Pact, with no AI safety organizations or technology companies directly financing the effort, Lobo-Lewis notes. The measured language avoiding an explicit moratorium is deliberate, meant to serve as a "floor" for candidates to support, particularly those with strong labor union ties, since several unions have recently reaffirmed their backing for data center construction.
The pact arrives as concerns about data centers increasingly intersect with broader AI anxieties, though debate continues over whether voters truly connect the two issues. Senator Bernie Sanders became among the first politicians to link AI safety measures to data centers in March when he proposed a national moratorium on their construction until Congress passes legislation "that safeguards the public from the dangers of artificial intelligence," the report notes. A growing number of politicians have followed this approach, tying data center development to larger AI concerns—Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, running as a Republican for Senate, released a data center plan this week that included making data centers legally liable for chatbots that "undermine children's safety." Meanwhile, governors previously enthusiastic about data center development, including Pennsylvania Democrat Josh Shapiro and Texas Republican Greg Abbott, have recently taken significant steps to reassure voters they're regulating these projects, with Abbott initiating a temporary moratorium this month after saying data centers have "dug their own grave" in his state.
Several pact promises reflect positions leaders from both parties have recently considered. The White House is currently developing a voluntary safety review for AI models, according to the report, while Trump has met with AI executives about a worker dividend for AI profits—an idea reportedly pitched by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The Trump administration has also encouraged AI companies, governors, and utilities to sign a voluntary pledge protecting ratepayers from electricity increases caused by data centers. Lobo-Lewis dismisses the White House's actions as merely lip service, saying he can't imagine the Trump administration would actually pursue mandatory safety reviews for models or nationwide tax breaks for data center construction. Gina Hinojosa, Abbott's opponent in the Texas gubernatorial race and a pact signer, has attacked Abbott's moratorium as insufficient, arguing "we need basic ground rules—we need laws to protect Texans" as AI develops rapidly without regulations. Some polling indicates environmental worries about data centers still significantly outweigh AI concerns among the public, raising questions about how closely data center opposition connects to AI anxieties—though Osborn says the idea that voters aren't connecting data centers to Big Tech negatives like privacy violations is "something that's being solely incubated in Washington, DC." The pledge positions candidates to address voter unease while navigating pressure from labor and business interests eager for development. Whether candidates choose to embrace stronger action than the pact's baseline commitments may determine how effectively they channel growing public frustration into concrete policy change.