Bipartisan pushback against data centers emerges as AI becomes a US midterm issue

Summary

Two weeks before the US midterm elections, there is bipartisan pushback against data centers, which draw water and power from local communities. France 24 says AI was viewed with awe by most voters just two years ago, when ChatGPT was new, but inflation, or "the price of eggs", remains the hot-button issue in swing constituencies. Anxiety over the end of the month is now joined by anxiety over the end of the world. The report previews the broadcaster's debate programme, which will examine whether AI has become an election issue.

Timeline

1. France 24

   20 Oct 2026, 22:45 UTCSource ↗

   In a preview of its debate programme, France 24 reports that two weeks before the midterms there is bipartisan pushback against data centers that draw water and power from communities, and that AI has become an election issue.