Issue Spotlight: What candidates in Arkansas’ US Senate race say about AI, data centers

Voters’ concerns about artificial intelligence and the data centers that keep it running have gained prominence during the midterm election cycle, prompting questions about how the federal government could regulate the industry.

AI’s rapid growth over the past few years has generated policy debates in all levels of government. A Pew Research Center poll in August found that 71% of people surveyed are worried AI will replace jobs done by humans over the next 20 years.

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AI chatbots have sparked safety concerns, including a recent lawsuit from Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin against OpenAI, alleging it hid ChatGPT’s risks from users. Some states have passed laws preventing ChatGPT and other chatbots from giving mental health advice in light of young users’ suicides.

Data centers’ water and electricity usage has sparked local backlash nationwide, including in several Arkansas communities where officials have butted heads over regulations.

Potential AI and data center regulations have been floated in Congress, though President Donald Trump has dismissed the call for new guardrails. One of Arkansas’ Republican U.S. senators, Tom Cotton, is up for reelection in November.

Cotton faces two challengers, Democrat Hallie Shoffner and Libertarian Jeff Wadlin. All three have said in interviews that they support giving Arkansans a vote on whether a data center is built near them.

Here’s what else they had to say about AI and data centers:

Shoffner calls for more transparency

Shoffner said Arkansans have asked her questions about data centers at every event she’s held since launching her campaign last year. Arkansans are curious about new forms of industry that might affect their daily lives, and current officeholders aren’t answering their questions, she said.

“They want industry that comes in and provides jobs, but they want transparency about what those industries are, the impacts that they’ll have on the community, and whether or not they have a say in whether something is built in their own backyard or not,” Shoffner said.

She said city and county residents should be able to vote on the construction of a nearby data center.

Shoffner also said she also would support the creation of a federal agency to monitor and regulate the AI industry. She compared the idea to how the Environmental Protection Agency regulates fertilizers that introduce chemicals into the food supply when sprayed on crops.

“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask to have that same kind of administration when it comes to AI,” she said.

Cotton calls for ‘targeted’ regulation

Cotton did not respond to a list of emailed questions from the Advocate. Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, told 40/29 News in September that he has discussed “both the promise and the risk” of AI with the White House, the Pentagon and the CIA.

He said he’s spoken to Arkansans about how they use AI in their daily lives, “whether it’s a routine to help them get over an achy knee or an achy back, or maybe developing a summer reading or math plan for their kids.”

Cotton has introduced a bill that would allow data centers to build their own power grid so their construction and use doesn’t siphon power from local communities and increase residents’ utility bills. He supported another measure by fellow Republican U.S. Jon Husted of Ohio that proposed standards for regulators to enforce when connecting data centers to the grid, but that measure was blocked by Senate Democrats who called the measure toothless. 

Like Shoffner, Cotton said AI companies should be transparent about the uses of their products and data centers’ impacts on communities. He also said local residents should have the power to choose whether a data center is built near them.

Unlike Shoffner, Cotton said he doesn’t believe the federal government needs a “Department of Artificial Intelligence” or for “big government bureaucracy” to oversee the AI industry.

“If we’re going to pass legislation [in Congress], it needs to be targeted and straightforward, and provide some clear guardrails, like protecting children from misuse of AI chatbots, making sure that we’re not exploiting some of the most vulnerable people, [or] making sure it’s not being used for fraud,” Cotton told 40/29 News.

Wadlin: ‘Regulation needs to develop with the industry’

Wadlin said he would support prohibiting the use of AI in the public safety and transportation industries. 

He said the use of agentic AI, a type of semi- or fully autonomous artificial intelligence which companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are developing, requires more stringent regulations.

“[It’s] not just asking the AI to do something and produce something for you, but you’re giving it the keys to the car,” Wadlin said.

He also said he would be open to a government agency or a commercial auditing entity monitoring AI companies, as long as there is some nationwide oversight because “the regulation needs to develop with the industry.”

Regarding data centers, Wadlin said the companies behind them should be required to pay for their own electricity and water use. He also agreed with his opponents that local control should be crucial to whether a data center is built.

“There should be town halls [where] these things should be discussed,” Wadlin said. “It should not be backroom deals where the state government is signing an NDA, or some county judge is making a decision without consulting their local constituents.”