Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Lawmaker urges moratorium on data centers, warns AI could cost millions of jobs
Loading...
Summary
A lawmaker said AI and robotics are "the most transformative technologies" and proposed a moratorium on construction of data centers powering AI, citing risks to jobs, children's social development and concentrated corporate power. No formal vote was recorded.
A lawmaker proposed a moratorium on construction of data centers that power artificial intelligence, arguing that AI and robotics threaten mass job losses and social harms and that development is concentrated among the ultrawealthy.
The speaker opened by saying "AI and robotics are the most transformative technologies in the history of humanity, and will have a profound impact on the lives of every man, woman, and child in our country." The lawmaker listed tech figures "like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Bill Gates" and asked rhetorically whether those multibillionaires are "staying up nights worrying about what AI and robotics will do to the working families of our country" and answered, "I don't think so."
The lawmaker cited public comments attributed to technology leaders as evidence of the technologies' economic stakes: "Elon Musk recently said, quote, AI and robots will replace all jobs. Working will be optional, end quote," and said Bill Gates "predicted that humans, quote, won't be needed for most things, end quote." The speaker also referenced Dario Amodei of Anthropic as warning that AI "could lead to the loss of half of all entry level white collar jobs."
Pressing the policy implication, the lawmaker asked how people would survive "if AI and robotics eliminate millions of jobs and create massive unemployment," and criticized the lack of attention in Congress to those risks. The speaker said, "this process is moving very, very quickly and we need to slow it down," and announced a plan to push for a moratorium "on the construction of data centers that are powering this unregulated sprint to develop and deploy AI." According to the speaker, the pause would "give democracy a chance to catch up" and help ensure benefits are broadly shared rather than concentrated.
The proposal was presented as a policy objective by the lawmaker; no formal motion, committee referral or vote appears in the transcript. The speaker closed by reiterating the need for broad public involvement in shaping AI's future and thanking listeners.
No additional supporting legislative text, timeline for the moratorium, or formal vote count was provided in the remarks.
