Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is urging the United States to aggressively pursue artificial intelligence development, warning that a U.S. "overreaction" to the emerging technology would primarily benefit China.
Fetterman's stance aligns him with former President Donald Trump on the importance of accelerating AI development and expanding data center infrastructure. The senator stated that AI supremacy and energy dominance are foundational to national security.
"China continues to fuel and benefit from our overreaction," Fetterman wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in response to a report highlighting China's rapid advancements in AI deployment. "I reject the political pandering and hyperbole over data centers or AI doomsdaying."
This is not the first time Fetterman has voiced these concerns. Earlier in the month, he reacted to a report that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was considering a pause on AI development, asserting that such a move would be welcomed by China. "America must lead in the development of AI, otherwise we live under China’s rules," Fetterman stated. "That must not happen."
Fetterman has also been a proponent of data center development. In March, he pushed back against proposals for a moratorium on new AI data centers in the U.S., calling such a notion "China First."
His comments come as former President Donald Trump has encouraged governors and local officials to embrace the construction of AI data centers. Trump emphasized the significant job creation and tax revenue associated with these facilities. "The construction jobs are enormous," Trump said. "We’re building the biggest plants anywhere in the world. And I can say, if I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in an AI plant or a data center, I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous, and the money paid, the taxes paid are just enormous."
Trump also acknowledged that the AI industry might need "a little public relations help" as public concerns rise regarding data center construction. A May Gallup poll indicated that a majority of Americans oppose the construction of new data centers near their homes, citing concerns about electricity and water consumption, as well as potential environmental impact.
In July, Trump signed an executive order aimed at expediting the permitting process for data centers. Regarding AI regulation, Trump suggested that the industry "may be bigger than the internet." He stated, "We’re leading by a lot with AI. We want to keep it that way. We want to regulate, but we want to have regulation where they can continue to lead, not regulation that’s going to stifle a very important industry."