OpenAI promises to listen to communities on data centres after election result

OpenAI has vowed to introduce a new standard of community engagement following the recent US midterm elections, where Democrats gained control of Congress. The tech giant unveiled a National Community Compact outlining measures to ensure that the development of AI compute campuses provides communities with a meaningful voice, safeguards families from new costs, and equitably distributes the economic benefits of AI.

The company pledged to fund its own energy needs for AI infrastructure, protect local resources, notify communities of its impact, and disclose job creation figures in each region. Notably, OpenAI will not enter into non-disclosure agreements with public officials, barring exceptions for legitimate security information, trade secrets, or proprietary or competitively sensitive data.

The move comes in response to a growing backlash against data centres in the US. At least 40 local laws were enacted during the recent midterm elections, aiming to scrutinize and curb data centre construction due to concerns over noise, environmental impact, and resource consumption. On Thursday, AI and tech stock prices experienced a decline, as investors anticipated potential regulatory actions by the Democratic Party, which may be more inclined to oversee companies and data centre development.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a Democrat from Vermont, expressed his intent to address concerns surrounding AI and data centres. Earlier this year, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders introduced an AI data centre moratorium. Sanders emphasized that Americans do not want tech oligarchs to damage the environment, eliminate jobs, and endanger humanity's future, calling for a national data center moratorium.