Bernie Sanders Takes on Data Centers

Listen and subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Wherever You Listen Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the best of The New Yorker in your inbox. The data centers that power artificial intelligence are being built at a rampant pace, and are spurring resistance all over the country. Apart from public concerns about A.I.’s impact on jobs, privacy, and other aspects of life, data centers consume vast amounts of electricity and water. New York has passed a moratorium on new data centers; fourteen other states have considered restrictions. The Vermont senator Bernie Sanders is taking this fight to the national level. He and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have introduced legislation that calls for a nationwide moratorium on data centers to allow time for more research and public input on the issue. The furor, Sanders tells David Remnick, cuts across political divisions. The opponents “are conservatives, they are progressives, they are moderates,” he adds. “They’re saying, What the hell are we doing? What is this gonna contribute to? Is this gonna result in my kid not being able to have a job? Is this gonna result in my not having any privacy? Why am I aiding these large corporations owned by the wealthiest people in the world who [couldn’t] care less about me? Let’s stand up.” Further reading and listening: - “When Bernie Sanders Headed for the Hills,” by Jill Lepore - “Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Fight the Oligarchy,” by Emily Witt - “Geoffrey Hinton: ‘It’s Far Too Late’ to Stop Artificial Intelligence,” an episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts. The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC and The New Yorker.