2028 Dems dodge on Bernie's push to pause AI development (axios.com)

Democratic presidential hopefuls are scrambling to seize on the growing public backlash against AI. But none will go as far as Bernie Sanders and his recent call to halt the technology's development. Axios asked nearly 20 Democrats who are seen as potential White House contenders whether they support Sanders' call for AI CEOs to "stop building machines that humans cannot control." Only one directly answered the question. Why it matters: The politics of AI are changing as fast as the technology itself, and 2028 aspirants are struggling to articulate their vision on it — including how they'd manage its potentially catastrophic risks . Some Democratic strategists fear the party will be caught flat-footed on the issue in 2028 as a result. Meanwhile, many Republicans — and some Democrats — have been whipsawed on AI, and now are trying to prove their anti-AI bona fides after having cozied up to top AI companies and their plans for data centers. Driving the news: Besides quizzing the potential Democratic candidates on Sanders' proposed technology pause, we asked them if they back a moratorium on AI data centers — and if they're concerned that regulation could cost the U.S. the AI arms race. None embraced Sanders' proposal to halt the technology. But tellingly, almost no one criticized Sanders' neo-Luddite position, either. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was the only potential 2028er who offered something of a critique: "This is talking around a problem instead of trying to solve it. A pause is fine — but then what?" "The real question," Emanuel said, "is how the time it buys gets used to build a comprehensive plan that meets America's energy needs instead of masking them." Emanuel called for permitting reform and requiring Big Tech hyperscalers to pay for upgrades to the energy infrastructure. About half the potential contenders simply didn't respond, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and ex-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Rep. Ro Khanna, both progressives, are the only potential 2028 candidates who've expressed support for a data center pause, to varying degrees. Zoom in: Some Democratic strategists say their party's presidential hopefuls have been too slow to develop a clear populist message on AI. They worry that could create an opening for Republicans to capitalize on the voter rebellion over data centers in 2028. Adam Carlson, a progressive pollster, described Democrats as "overly cautious" about the topic. "It's a big strategic error for the Democratic Party writ large not to be the one that's owning this," he said. "What if JD Vance comes out and is the first major presidential candidate to support a data center moratorium, other than AOC?" Carlson asked. "That's a huge miss. And then everyone who comes out after is going to be seen as slow to the punch against JD Vance." Zoom out: Candidates running in this year's midterm elections — Demo