Issued on: 21/10/2026 – 00:45
43:36 min
From the show
Reading time 1 min
With the midterm elections two weeks away, voters across party lines are pushing back against data centers that place heavy demands on local water and electricity supplies. Two years ago, ChatGPT was a new arrival and AI was viewed with widespread admiration. As in 2024, inflation and rising grocery prices remain defining concerns in swing constituencies. Now, anxiety about making ends meet is increasingly accompanied by concern about AI’s wider impact. In 2026, bots and large language models are producing research papers and campaign advertising. The program examines calls for regulation despite strong opposition from technology billionaires, and considers whether recent stock-market volatility suggests that the race to dominate AI and expand at breakneck speed may be nearing its limits.
Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri and Ilayda Habip.
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Dan HazelwoodRepublican strategist and president of Targeted Creative Communications
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Antonio CasilliProfessor of Sociology, Institut Polytechnique de Paris
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Dejan GlavasProfessor at ESSCA and head of the AI for Sustainability Institute
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Valerie WirtschafterFellow, Foreign Policy, AI and Emerging Tech Initiative, Brookings Institution
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Fraser JacksonFRANCE 24 Washington correspondent
