Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduce invoice to pause AI rollout amid rising backlash to know-how.
Revealed On 26 Mar 2026
Two progressive lawmakers in america are pushing for a moratorium on new AI information centres to make sure the rapidly-advancing know-how doesn’t threaten the “way forward for humanity”.
The laws unveiled by Senator Bernie Sanders and Home Consultant Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday would pause the development of information centres till the introduction of nationwide safeguards to guard staff’ livelihoods, civil liberties and the setting.
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Sanders, an impartial who represents the state of Vermont, mentioned a moratorium was wanted as lawmakers had been “approach behind” of their understanding of AI.
“Backside line: We can’t sit again and permit a handful of billionaire Huge Tech oligarchs to make choices that can reshape our economic system, our democracy and the way forward for humanity,” Sanders mentioned.
“We want severe public debate and democratic oversight over this enormously consequential concern. The time for motion is now. We want a federal moratorium on AI information centres,” he mentioned.
Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat who represents New York, mentioned the shortage of nationwide laws regulating AI had already led to harms starting from mass authorities surveillance to the proliferation of sexually specific deepfakes of ladies and youngsters.
“Congress has an ethical obligation to face with the American folks and cease the enlargement of those information facilities till we have now a framework to adequately deal with the existential hurt AI poses to our society,” she mentioned.
“We should select humanity over revenue.”
The proposed laws comes amid a rising grassroots backlash to the rollout of information centres, which devour enormous quantities of water and electrical energy, in communities throughout the US.
Not less than 36 information centres had been blocked or delayed within the US between Could 2024 and June 2025, disrupting $162bn in funding, in line with Information Heart Watch, a analysis venture by AI safety firm 10a Labs.
Opposition to the initiatives, a lot of it pushed by issues about rising electrical energy costs and environmental harms, has lower throughout partisan strains, spanning Republican and Democratic-led states together with Virginia, Minnesota, Indiana, Missouri and Oregon.
In an opinion ballot printed by NBC Information earlier this month, 57 % of registered US voters mentioned they believed the dangers from AI outweighed the advantages, in contrast with 34 % who felt the alternative.
Simply 26 % of voters mentioned they felt positively about AI, in contrast with 46 % who had destructive views, in line with the ballot.
The Sanders-Ocasio-Cortez invoice nonetheless faces an uphill battle within the US Congress, the place Republicans management each the Home of Representatives and the Senate, and even Democrats are divided on easy methods to regulate AI.
Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who represents Pennsylvania, on Wednesday dismissed the proposed moratorium, calling it “China First”.
“The rising chassis of AI should be constructed by America. We are able to put acceptable guardrails in place with out handing the win on AI to China,” Fetterman mentioned.
US President Donald Trump’s administration, which has championed a light-touch method to regulating AI, final week launched a long-awaited nationwide AI framework that laid out suggestions for laws on the nationwide stage.
The four-page doc known as on lawmakers to take away boundaries to innovation and speed up the deployment of AI, whereas implementing measures to guard kids, management electrical energy costs, and uphold mental property rights and freedom of speech.
