Sen. Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) propose AI Data Center Moratorium Act

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act, a legislative proposal that would impose a hard stop on the explosive growth of AI infrastructure. The bill directly cites warnings from AI pioneers like Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, as well as the Future of Life Institute's calls for a pause, framing the rapid AI build-out as an unregulated risk. Its core provision is a moratorium on the construction or upgrading of AI data centers until Congress passes a comprehensive AI safety law aimed at preventing companies from releasing harmful products. The legislation would effectively freeze an estimated $670 billion in planned data center investments by major tech firms this year alone.

The proposal extends beyond domestic construction, calling for export controls on advanced AI chips to any country that lacks laws to protect against AI existential risks, workers, and the environment. In announcing the bill, Sanders highlighted the unprecedented scale of the AI revolution, quoting Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis that it will have "a hundred times the impact" of the industrial revolution. He framed the massive investments by figures like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos as a driver of inequality, arguing the public is rightfully concerned about immediate job losses and a lack of government oversight. The bill represents the most direct legislative attempt yet to slow AI development through physical infrastructure control, setting up a major clash between tech giants and policymakers over the pace of innovation.