Axios reported on Sunday that OpenAI will start a policy and PR push right after Tuesday's US midterm elections. Axios says Democrats will likely win the House, so AI companies face a harsher Washington. OpenAI plans new ideas for mandatory safeguards on the most powerful AI, which it calls "speed limits." Chris Lehane, its chief global affairs officer, said people should always stay in control. The push starts in the lame-duck session of Congress, which opens Nov. 9.
Axios gave no detail on what the speed limits would limit, and no bill text. OpenAI also wants its data centers called "AI compute campuses," which Axios calls an intentionally provocative rebrand. Axios does not explain how a campus differs from a legacy data center, beyond OpenAI's claim that it can transform host communities economically. As general background, not from Axios, a data center is a building full of servers. OpenAI also plans community compacts and state bills giving residents a say in how projects are built. Axios has a content licensing deal with OpenAI.
Our reading: OpenAI pairs a human-control message with a host-community message, ahead of a Congress it expects to be less friendly. Teams that buy frontier AI can ask vendors whether they back the proposed safeguards.