With the midterms approaching, the competition between America and China regarding artificial intelligence has ignited significant discussion. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas expressed concerns that this debate is being fueled by a “coordinated” propaganda effort. As Congress deliberates on matters related to data centers and AI policy, Cruz, who leads the Senate Commerce Committee, suggested that much of the opposition to data centers is being orchestrated by a well-funded campaign.
Cruz pointed out the parallels to past efforts where Middle Eastern countries financially backed anti-fracking movements. He stated, “If they can persuade America to avoid developing its own oil and gas and instead rely on imports, that’s beneficial for them and detrimental for us.” He added that a similar situation applies to data centers: if Americans are convinced that they shouldn’t have data centers at home but rather depend on China for AI, it heavily favors China and harms the U.S.
Currently, there are no disclosed instances of direct Chinese funding in U.S. data center policies. However, OpenAI did report in June that it had banned certain ChatGPT accounts suspected to be from China due to their involvement in promoting social media narratives claiming that data centers increase electricity costs for Americans. OpenAI indicated that these accounts were engaged in a covert attempt to sway the discourse surrounding U.S. AI and broader tech policies.
Cruz emphasized that shaping policies to ensure America’s success in the AI sector is “the single most important economic question facing America today.” He warned that should China take the lead in AI, it would largely center on surveillance and propaganda, reflecting the values of the Chinese Communist Party. In contrast, Cruz expressed his desire for American values such as free speech and privacy to shape the future of AI.
He characterized opposition to AI growth and the establishment of data centers as the prevailing stance among Democrats, whom he accused of aligning with major tech firms, like Anthropic, that seek to escape antitrust regulations and cozy up to the government for control over AI development.
Cruz connected this stance to a leftist ideology intertwined with a new tech philosophy called “effective altruism,” suggesting that those advocating for it are essentially left-wing extremists aiming to propagate their beliefs through AI. He described it as a financial power play where large companies approach the government requesting laws that would hinder competition.
Parker Thayer, an investigative researcher at the Capital Research Center, referred to effective altruism as linked to the “AI doomerism movement.” Meanwhile, Dustin Moskovitz, a billionaire and co-founder of Facebook, along with his wife Cari Tuna, has emerged as a prominent financial supporter of initiatives connected to effective altruism. They founded Coefficient Giving and are noted for their substantial contributions towards AI safety and policy advocacy, with intentions to allocate over $1 billion towards these efforts by 2026.
In 2015, Coefficient Giving initiated “Project Tailwind,” which sought to encourage the launch of AI safety initiatives, illustrating their commitment to advancing this cause.
