Will Lawrence, a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidate for the Michigan House, has called for a federal moratorium on the construction of new artificial intelligence data centers. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Lawrence stated that such a pause is necessary to facilitate a national conversation about the development of hyper-intelligent AI and to ensure its benefits are widely shared.
Lawrence expressed concern that current practices in building AI data centers are bypassing fundamental democratic principles. He criticized what he described as billionaires from Silicon Valley and Wall Street approaching small towns with promises about energy costs and community benefits, suggesting these deals lack transparency and adequate public input.
"There may be a right way to build these data centers and generate super-intelligent AI, but what's happening now is the wrong way, because it's abandoning the basic principles of democracy and self-determination that are foundational to the American identity," Lawrence said.
Beyond the data center moratorium, Lawrence also voiced support for campaign finance reform, specifically advocating for publicly funded elections. He cited the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission as an issue that needs to be addressed, potentially through a constitutional amendment.
"Unless there's change in the Supreme Court, Citizens United will need to be overturned with a constitutional amendment because it's a Supreme Court decision," Lawrence stated. "But beyond just ending Citizens United, which deals with the dark money in politics, I also support public financing of elections, which would mean that every single candidate who has legitimate grassroots support gets access to the same pool of public funding and the same amount of dollars to run their campaign with."
When asked about more extensive DSA policy proposals, such as abolishing the Supreme Court, the presidency, and the Senate, Lawrence redirected the focus to his immediate campaign priorities.
"That's not what we're talking about. So I can't speak to whether people are turned off by it or not. We're focused on stopping these AI data centers, stopping these wars around the world, and ensuring that everybody has health care," he said.
Lawrence is running in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary for Michigan's 7th district congressional seat. The district is currently held by Republican Rep. Tom Barrett. Lawrence is competing against other Democratic candidates, including former Obama National Security Council member Bridget Brink, to face Barrett in the general election.
Lawrence has received endorsements from prominent progressive figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The candidate's campaign, along with those of Rep. Barrett and Brink, were contacted by Fox News Digital for comment.