OpenAI Two days after poll voters flatly rejected AI’s rapid expansion, the company reaffirmed its commitment to pay the full cost of powering its data centers as part of a series of pledges announced Thursday.
The artificial intelligence company said in its pledge that it would seek community input, publicize construction plans and avoid using non-disclosure agreements with public officials for data centers it owns and operates. Furthermore, in its policy blueprint, OpenAI encouraged policymakers to enact commitments similar to legislation.
“What we’re doing with this blueprint is actually identifying the best lessons we’ve learned and committing to applying them to future developments,” Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief international affairs officer, told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday. “This helps ensure that people have a very high standard in terms of how they move forward.”
On Tuesday, Americans slammed data centers at voting booths. Of 41 local ballot measures across 10 states, voters supported restrictions or rejected pro-development measures in all but one, according to a Ballotpedia analysis and additional results collected by CNBC on Wednesday.
Opposition to AI data centers rose rapidly on both sides of politics over the summer. Consumers, grappling with inflation, soaring food prices and high prices at the pump, grew concerned that the facility would worsen environmental damage, raise utility bills and lead to job losses. For many, they became a physical manifestation of widespread antipathy and anxiety toward AI.
AI companies like OpenAI rely on AI data centers to serve customers and develop new models, and they are looking to build out as quickly as possible to meet demand. OpenAI told investors in February that it was targeting $600 billion in total computing spending by 2030, and the company subsequently announced large data center projects in Georgia and Ohio.
OpenAI has repeatedly committed to protecting ratepayers and investing in local communities this year, and Lehane said the company’s latest efforts build on much of its previous work. He said the policy blueprint has been in the works since August and has met with dozens of lawmakers and candidates since then.
“By having these conversations now, we can actually put more energy into the momentum so that in late January, when people come back and the new Congress is in session, a lot of the work is done in advance,” Lehane said.
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