Bernie Sanders and Ron DeSantis speak out against data center boom. It's a bad sign for AI industry

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The alignment of two national figures on the left and right signals that a political reckoning is brewing over the AI industry’s impact on electricity prices, grid stability and the labor market. The opposition could slow the industry’s development plans if it reaches a broad bipartisan consensus.

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“Frankly, I think you’ve got to slow this process down,” Sanders told CNN in a Dec. 28 interview. “It’s not good enough for the oligarchs to tell us it’s coming — you adapt. What are they talking about? They’re going to guarantee healthcare to all people? What are they going to do when people have no jobs?”

Florida Gov. DeSantis unveiled an AI bill of rights on Dec. 4 that would protect local communities’ right to block data center construction among other provisions. The staunch Republican’s proposal could run afoul of the White House, which is pushing to scale up AI as quickly as possible. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Dec. 11 to prevent “excessive state regulation” of AI.

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Florida and Vermont are not major data center states. But rising utility bills played a key role in the landslide victory of Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the governor’s race this year in Virginia, the world’s largest data center market.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/01/ai-data-centers-bernie-sanders-ron-desantis-electricity-prices.html