Across America, a singularity is unifying our polarized electorate. It brings together progressive pagans and cultural conservatives, deindustrialized steelworkers and demoralized professionals, the wealthy Left’s collectives and the rebellious Right’s influencers. No, it’s not America’s 250th birthday. It’s artificial intelligence.
The rising backlash is a red alert for the tech industry. An NBC News poll this month found that “a majority of registered voters, 57%, said they believe the risks of AI outweigh its benefits, compared with 34% who said the opposite.” A survey from left-leaning Blue Rose Research showed that AI’s political salience among voters has risen faster than dozens of other issues, including the war in the Middle East and the cost of living. In its poll, Fox News found that just 6 percent of Americans feel AI is moving too slowly, compared with a supermajority who feel the opposite.
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These concerns explain why, on Friday, the White House issued a new AI strategy that appeared more conciliatory toward local concerns. But while it’s a step in the right direction, the administration needs to realize that the fight to run policy at the federal level is currently lost. Instead, it needs to start actively persuading voters instead—and push business leaders to reconnect with the American public.
The growing backlash has ushered in a surge of state legislation. More than 11 states—including both Democrat-controlled New York and Maryland and Republican-dominated Oklahoma and South Dakota—are debating legislation to put moratoriums on data-center construction. Federal legislators like Senator Bernie Sanders, who earlier this month began championing data-center halts, are leading the charge.
Up until now, the administration has been aggressive but ham-fisted in fighting the backlash. Its ultimate goal has been passing federal legislation to preempt state and local laws related to AI, ensuring that America’s global competitiveness isn’t julienned by 50 states and thousands of municipalities. But legislative efforts to do so have consistently crashed and burned.
Now, the administration has opened up to AI’s critics, conceding that the political storm isn’t going away. It signaled the shift with the release of its new “National AI Legislative Framework.” The framework is meant to invite more feedback into the AI regulatory process.
In its announcement, the White House spoke to the changing politics of AI: “The Administration recognizes that some Americans feel uncertain about how this transformative technology will affect issues they care about, like their children’s wellbeing or their monthly electricity bill.” The framework pulls back from complete federal preemption to a more devolved model, highlighting that “this national standard should respect key principles of federalism and not preempt” categories like police, zoning and procurement.
Nonetheless, the White House remains focused on its overarching goal of winning the AI race against China and other competitors. It still wants federal control over much of AI regulation, arguing that “preemption must ensure that State laws do not govern areas better suited to the Federal Government or act contrary to the United States’ national strategy to achieve global AI dominance.” The framework also encourages Congress to push forward on areas like child protection, public safety, copyright, censorship, and education.
Unfortunately, the new strategy feels like far too little, far too late. Given the backlash, Congress is unlikely to pass new AI legislation. Moreover, many of the framework’s pillars are deeply contested. Businesses are bitterly fighting over copyright and the government is still partially shut down over funding public safety. It’s hard to believe that the specter of China winning the AI race will lead to faster legislative action.
Instead, the administration should accept that the federal government has lost control over the situation amid the backlash and champion more robust and localized messaging on the upsides of AI. “The Trump Administration is committed to winning the AI race to usher in a new era of human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security for the American people,” the White House noted in its recent memo. These are good themes, and the administration should lean into them.
Start with more campaign stops highlighting the immense construction work on new data centers that offer local jobs with high pay. Emphasize the investment into power generation and grid transmission that will create more resilient and affordable places to live across the country. Showcase the dynamism coming out of America’s entrepreneurial minds, improving everything from cancer research to home appliances. In short, connect with pro-prosperity voters across the country—a bedrock of Trump’s voter base.
AI leaders, too, must get out of their modern greige offices in San Francisco and energetically persuade voters on the benefits of the world to come. Silicon Valley can’t singularly accrue the advantages of this revolutionary new tech, but must help spread its immense wealth into the rural communities that already feel left behind. Supply AI-ready jobs that offer a middle-class salary, and turn a story of fear and loathing into a narrative of profit and progress.
The AI backlash is profound, but so is the White House’s acknowledgement of the new reality. American voters are rightfully concerned about the stability of their jobs, the welfare of their children and families, and the strength of their communities. Giving into such fears has never been the American way, but neither is ignoring them. Instead, it’s time to engage with the immense change underway in the economy and offer a better road to the coming singularity.
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