AI and data centers dominated conversations at a Brooklyn midterm election event held five days before Election Day, highlighting how the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure has become a political issue beyond the technology sector.
The event was hosted by Newsreel, the media company founded by former Forbes and Newsweek reporter Jack Brewster. Its program included a discussion with Opal co-founder Kenneth Schlenker about attention, a midterm forecast from Barza founder Aryan Banjan and a panel focused on data centers.
Brewster said the gathering was intended to encourage attendees to put their phones away and discuss the election. Instead, AI, data centers and opposition to what attendees viewed as growing technocratic power became recurring subjects throughout the evening.
A Data Center Watch report cited at the event found that nearly $200 billion in data center projects had been delayed, stalled or blocked during the first half of 2026 because of political and community opposition. States including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, New York and Virginia are considering additional rules and transparency requirements as development accelerates. Hundreds of new facilities are planned in Virginia, which is already known as the “data center capital of the world.”
New York City Council member Chi Ossé said during a fireside chat that he does not use AI extensively and called for greater accountability from technology executives. He also argued that executives promoting technologies capable of causing major societal disruption should be required to testify before Congress.
During the data center panel, technology and human rights researcher Maia Woluchem and environmental and public health advocate Hilary Flint discussed concerns about local decision-making, living costs, employment and potential environmental and health effects. Audience members booed when asked who supported AI data centers.
Participants said residents often believe technology companies are reaching confidential agreements with local officials to build billion-dollar facilities. In some cases, they argued, zoning rules make it difficult for communities to understand what is being built before they can effectively object.
The panel also examined the tension between promised economic benefits and concerns about the long-term effects of development. Flint said some residents value their lives more than what they see as a temporary financial payment, even when data center projects bring benefits to certain communities.
The subject resurfaced during a later panel about the future of the Democratic Party. NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon noted that some labor unions support data centers because of the jobs they promise, although reports indicate that much of the employment is tied to construction and does not remain once projects are completed.
Political strategist Morris Katz questioned whether communities should trust the same institutional forces that have reduced union employment to deliver lasting prosperity through data centers. Vox journalist Astead Herndon emphasized what he described as a lack of local consent, saying the concern exists among Republicans as well as other voters in affected areas.
Brewster said AI was mentioned in every onstage conversation and was the second-most common subject in questions submitted by people who registered for the event. He described the political backlash differently across communities: in rural areas, voters may focus on fears of being replaced, while in Brooklyn the central question is who will become wealthy from AI.
The discussions reflected a broader divide between technology professionals who emphasize AI’s potential and residents who feel they have little control over how rapidly the technology is being deployed. Data centers, as the physical infrastructure behind that expansion, have become a visible focus for concerns about jobs, local power, environmental risks and the distribution of economic gains.
Sources: TechCrunch.