The purple tsunami against data centers
NPR · Kevin Roose ·
AI was all over the 2026 midterms: in the ads, in the political spending and in voters’ opposition to data centers. We break down the races that most surprised us, from Texas to a small Ohio town that recalled its mayor over a proposed Meta facility. Will the backlash slow AI progress, or just force the industry to strike a better deal with communities? Then Rob Flaherty, co-founder of the Democratic AI super PAC Tomorrow Together, joins to share which AI messages moved voters, what a Democratic Congress could get done on AI safety, and how the fight over AI could shape 2028.<br><br>For a transcript of this episode, select the episode on <a href="http://npr.org/machinegods"target="_blank" >npr.org/machinegods</a>.<br><br>You can watch this full episode on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@machinegodspod"target="_blank" >YouTube</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5kxu4uluMq6jUuoNPGyZMu"target="_blank" >Spotify</a> or <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/machine-gods/id6812430636"target="_blank" >Apple Podcasts</a>. And if you’ve got a question you want us to answer, you can drop us a comment on any of those platforms or email us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]"target="_blank" >[email protected]</a>.<br>
Kevin Roose: Did a Big Tech backlash swing the midterms?
Casey Newton: Do data centers have a future on Earth?
Roose: How are Democrats gonna govern AI? I'm Kevin Roose.