AI Industry

Sen. Amy Klobuchar warned that the White House’s new executive order—directing the Attorney General to challenge state AI statutes and the Commerce Department to catalog “onerous” regulations—is “the wrong approach” and likely illegal. The move, backed by OpenAI, Google and Andreessen Horowitz, aims to curb state‑level AI bans but faces criticism from consumer groups and legal experts who say it can’t preempt state law and will spark lawsuits. Meanwhile, state laws in Colorado and California push for consumer protections, and the order also permits limited Nvidia chip sales to China, adding market uncertainty.

Rising electricity prices across the US are fueling discontent, coinciding with the rapid growth of energy-intensive AI data centers and the upcoming midterm elections. Data from the EIA shows residential utility bills increased by 6% nationally in August, with states like Virginia, Illinois, and Ohio, where data centers are concentrated, experiencing significantly steeper rises exceeding 12%. The scale of data center energy consumption strains local grids, impacting prices. Politicians are responding, scrutinizing tech companies and their energy usage, leading to headwinds for data center expansion. PJM, the largest grid operator, faces imbalance, contributing to increased consumer costs.