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Applied AI·November 2, 2026·1 min read

OpenAI’s Lehane likens backing a data centre ban to the 2002 Iraq vote

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Framing AI and data center policy as a defining 2028 election issue elevates compute infrastructure from a zoning fight to a national agenda item. If your roadmap depends on large-scale AI, assume permitting, power, and data rules will be politicized and start scenario-planning with policy teams now.

Applied AI

Democratic gubernatorial wins in Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania could expose 50% of proposed US AI data center additions to greater scrutiny and pushback

With new Democratic governors in Texas, Georgia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, roughly half of proposed US AI data center capacity just moved into higher-friction permitting and community scrutiny. Data center developers and large AI buyers need a red/blue regulatory map in their site-selection models—not just power price and land cost.

Applied AI

Pharmaceutical leaders are skeptical of claims that AI could cure most diseases within a decade; the US FDA has yet to clear any AI-designed biotech drugs

Drug discovery AI is running into the wall of biology and regulation — no AI-designed drug has FDA clearance yet, and pharma CEOs are openly discounting decade-to-cure narratives. If you're building in AI x biotech, optimize for tools that de-risk experiments and trials, not full-stack drug pipelines that depend on regulators moving faster than they historically ever have.