Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez introduce a bill to pause US data center construction

File this one under "things that might have a shot after the midterms." On Wednesday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act. The bill would require an immediate pause on data center construction until specific new regulations are passed.The legislation aims to address the problem that AI is advancing faster than Washington's regulatory response (basically none) has kept pace. Despite its benefits, the technology poses grave threats to the job market and the environment. Rapidly advancing deepfakes could soon leave people unable to determine truth from fiction. (That is, more than online propaganda already has.) AI also makes mass surveillance easier than ever, potentially giving unelected tech leaders unfettered control over society. "Last year alone, AI was responsible for over 54,000 layoffs nationwide," Rep. Ocasio-Cortez said in a press conference. "And when we talk about those jobs,