Steve Hilton Blames Sam Altman and Dario Amodei for Making America Fear AI
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton attributes public fear of AI, partly due to figures like Sam Altman and Dario Amodei, as the cause of opposition to data center construction. He argues that California's restrictive policies are driving data center development to other states like Texas and Ohio. Hilton advocates for easing regulations to attract AI-driven manufacturing and reshoring to California.
Steve Hilton, the Republican gubernatorial candidate for California, expressed his views on artificial intelligence and data center development during an August 11 interview at Politico's The California Agenda Sacramento Summit. Hilton criticized AI founders Sam Altman and Dario Amodei, stating their warnings about AI's potential harms have severely damaged the industry's public reputation and fueled local opposition to data center construction. He posited that the "data center thing is a tangible proxy for a generalized concern about AI."
Hilton argued that California's current "hostility" towards data center construction is detrimental to the state's economy, causing projects to relocate to states such as Texas and Ohio. He believes this hinders California's ability to attract the manufacturing sector, which he predicts will see a wave of reshoring due to AI-driven automation. As governor, Hilton stated his priority would be to reduce regulatory and litigation pressures on businesses, though he clarified that the tech sector isn't in an "emergency" state.
While acknowledging the need for careful regulation in areas like children's safety and copyright, Hilton advocated for simplifying building regulations and capping developer impact fees, ideas he believes have bipartisan support. He also affirmed his belief in local control, stating he would not override city or county decisions regarding housing density. Hilton acknowledged the difficulty of his gubernatorial campaign but remains focused on California's issues.