By Paul Derrington, Jr.
CEO | Chief Engineer | Research Engineer | Editor, D-CSIL
3 min read
Key Takeaways
OpenAI plans a policy and public-relations push right after Tuesday’s midterm elections, Axios reported on November 1: mandatory ‘speed limits’ for the most powerful AI systems, a rebrand of its data centers as ‘AI compute campuses,’ and community compacts that give local residents a say in new builds. Chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane said his team has been stockpiling the proposals since August, and the push starts in the lame-duck session that opens November 9. Separately, Axios reported on October 31 that campaigns and outside groups have spent $173 million on almost entirely negative general-election ads about data centers, according to AdImpact.
What is OpenAI planning after the midterms?
Right after Tuesday’s midterm elections, OpenAI plans what Axios called a ‘policy and PR blitz,’ Axios reported on November 1 in its ‘Behind the Curtain’ column. The push is timed to the lame-duck session of Congress, which opens November 9 and runs until the new Congress is sworn in on January 3.
Chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane told Axios his team has been stockpiling the proposals since August, ‘some new and some repackaged.’ He framed Tuesday as ‘a bit of a movie trailer for what you’re going to see in 2028,’ when he expects AI to be ‘the issue’ in the presidential election.
What would an AI ‘speed limit’ actually be?
According to Axios, OpenAI plans to unveil new ideas, building on earlier proposals, for mandatory safeguards on the most powerful AI systems, which OpenAI calls speed limits. Lehane told Axios: ‘You’re going to see us talk more and more about the concept of speed limits.’ He added, ‘Our belief is people should always remain in control of this technology.’
OpenAI has not published the proposals, so the definition of a speed limit, the systems covered, and any enforcement mechanism are not yet public.
Why rename a data center an ‘AI compute campus’?
Axios calls the rebrand an ‘intentionally provocative’ effort. OpenAI will argue that the infrastructure it builds, unlike legacy data centers, can economically transform host communities — pointing to a large project in Pike County, Ohio, in the Appalachian region that it says will bring thousands of jobs.
According to Axios, OpenAI will also offer community compacts and propose state legislation that gives residents a say in how projects are built and what benefits they receive. Lehane told Axios, ‘Communities should hold companies responsible and accountable so they really and truly get a transformative benefit from these projects,’ and called the debate around data centers ‘good and healthy.’ Amazon and Microsoft have already said they will no longer use nondisclosure agreements in their negotiations with local governments, TechCrunch noted.
What happens next
Axios says the push starts in the lame-duck session on November 9 and lists two further planks: ideas to support workers, education and small businesses, and a push for the US to shape global AI standards.
Axios reported on October 31 that campaigns and outside groups have spent $173 million on general-election ads about data centers, almost all of them negative, according to AdImpact. FourWeekMBA reports that Axios discloses a content licensing and technology agreement with OpenAI. OpenAI has not published the proposals or named the states it will target.