But look at the issues that most campaigns are focused on, and AI is far less prevalent, experts say.

More than 60 percent of both Republicans and Democrats polled by Ipsos earlier this year agree that the government should regulate AI for economic stability and public safety, and that the technology’s development should slow down. Still, “when you just ask folks, ‘what’s on your mind?’ AI and data centers aren’t rising to the top of the list — at least not yet,” says lead pollster for Ipsos Public Affairs Alec Tyson.

For now, broad topics like the economy and immigration remain priorities for many voters. “There’s a certain amount of oxygen for the top issues that Americans have on their mind, and we are living in a very active moment,” Tyson says. “The amount of available space or potential for another issue to break through, it has to be a pretty acute or powerful concern. And we’re just not seeing that at the national level with AI yet.”

There’s also a lack of clear partisan lines. Data Center Watch, a group that tracks data center projects and their opposition, found 55 percent of politicians who publicly opposed large projects were Republicans and 45 percent were Democrats. There’s also bipartisan concern over AI chatbot companions’ impact on kids. While Republican politicians have led the push to override state AI laws, there’s still disagreement within both parties