
One Nation United Against Data Centers - Week in Tech
From TechStuff by iHeartPodcasts
May 8, 2026 · 1h 1m
About this episode
The episode discusses AI regulation, dark money campaigns, and the backlash against data centers, featuring insights from various guests.
This week: AI regulation, dark money and data center backlash. Reed Albergotti ( Semafor ) helps decipher how the Trump Administration actually feels about AI oversight and it seems like a reversal of the hands-off approach they’ve taken so far. Taylor Lorenz ( User Mag ) exposes a dark money influencer campaign — one she was personally recruited for — that's paying creators to push pro-American AI, anti-China messaging on behalf of a Big Tech super PAC. And Nitasha Tiku ( The Washington Post ) reports on the fast-growing, bipartisan movement fighting data center construction in communities across the country. Plus: Sam Altman's leaked texts, 120,000 tech layoffs, and the GPT-5.5 launch party. Additional Reading: So Long Jeeves and Ask.com, Relics of Yesterday’s Internet White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released | The New York Times A Dark-Money Campaign Is Paying Influencers to Frame Chinese AI as a Threat | WIRED Inside a growing movement warning AI could turn on humanity | The Washington Post ‘The Most Bipartisan Issue Since Beer’: Opposition to Data Centers | The New York Times…
People in this episode
Guests: Reed Albergotti, Taylor Lorenz, Nitasha Tiku
Topics covered
- AI regulation
- dark money
- data center backlash
- tech layoffs
- bipartisan movement
- influencer campaign
Keywords
- AI oversight
- dark money
- data centers
- tech layoffs
- influencer campaign
- GPT-5.5
Sponsors
SAILY
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Semafor, User Mag, The Washington Post, Big Tech super PAC, WIRED, The New York Times
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