Carl Brown (Internet of Bugs): Will Democrats Blow Up The AI Bubble and Arrest Elon Musk?

I have spent years arguing that politics affects business and technology, and this conversation with Carl brought that into sharp focus following the midterm election shock.

Data centres have become a central political issue in American politics, as communities are pushing back over their local impact. So we discussed whether the historic election results could change where projects get built and the wider impact on the AI industry as a whole.

And even when companies want to move projects elsewhere, financing, power, water and existing construction make that far from simple. 

Let’s not forget that AI acceleration’s outlandish promises depend entirely on enormous computing capacity, and yet investors, banks and voters may not support the build-out companies expect.

Carl and I are wary of confident claims about AI’s future when the economics and infrastructure are still uncertain, not to mention when companies are already cutting jobs in AI’s name. From our point of view, the wider issue is that Democrats must address accountability. Silicon Valley’s powerful companies have choices about how they respond to political pressure, while smaller businesses may have real reasons to avoid alienating customers.

But politics shapes the conditions we work and live in, and people can influence those decisions when they act together, as we have seen with the midterms. For now, we are at an inflexion point, and we will have to watch what companies, elected officials, voters and markets do next.

This discussion is not about promoting political ideologies or party politics, which, in our view, are becoming increasingly irrelevant. It is all about economics and people’s welfare.

Join the conversation now and tell us if you think the midterm election outcome will trigger a significant shift in the AI industry, and even blow up the AI bubble. Will techbros, particularly Elon Musk, face state prosecutions?