U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has called for a temporary nationwide halt to the construction of artificial intelligence data centres, arguing that the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is outpacing democratic oversight and public understanding.
In a video shared on social media, the Vermont senator said he plans to push for a national moratorium on new AI data centre projects, describing artificial intelligence as one of the most transformative technologies in human history. Sanders said the speed at which AI is being developed and deployed has left lawmakers and citizens struggling to keep up with its social, economic and ethical implications.
“This moratorium will give democracy a chance to catch up with the transformative changes that we are witnessing and make sure that the benefits of these technologies work for all of us, not just the wealthiest people on Earth,” he said.
Sanders’ proposal goes further than most existing calls for AI regulation in Washington. While concerns about artificial intelligence have been growing on Capitol Hill, he appears to be the first national-level politician to advocate for a pause in the physical infrastructure underpinning the AI boom. Data centres, packed with high-powered chips and servers, are essential to training and running advanced AI systems.
The call comes as major technology companies continue to pour vast sums into AI-related investments. Firms including Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Google and Apple have collectively spent hundreds of billions of dollars this year on capital expenditures, much of it tied to data centres, specialised processors and cloud infrastructure. Several of these companies have already signalled that AI spending will rise further in 2026.
Sanders said the pace of this buildout is alarming and risks concentrating power in the hands of a small group of wealthy technology executives. He warned that decisions about the future of AI are increasingly being shaped by “a handful of multi-billionaires,” rather than through broad public debate and democratic processes.
The senator outlined three main concerns driving his call for a pause. First, he criticised what he sees as the dominance of powerful tech interests in shaping AI development. Second, he highlighted the potential for widespread job losses as AI systems replace or displace human labour across multiple industries. Third, he raised broader social concerns about how increased reliance on AI could affect human relationships and interaction.
“Think for a moment about a future when human beings are not interacting with each other and are spending virtually all of their time with devices instead of people,” Sanders said, questioning whether such a future is desirable.
Despite the strong rhetoric, the proposal faces long odds. President Donald Trump’s administration has taken the opposite approach, actively encouraging the rapid construction of data centres as part of a strategy to ensure the United States remains competitive with China in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.
Even so, scepticism around AI is growing in Congress. Some lawmakers have warned of a potential AI investment bubble, while others are pushing for limits on the use of AI chatbots by minors and stronger safeguards around data privacy and algorithmic accountability.
Sanders’ call for a moratorium underscores a widening debate in Washington over whether the AI race should be slowed to allow for stronger regulation, or accelerated in the name of economic growth and geopolitical competition.
