Tech critics say that real change will depend on newly elected officials keeping their campaign promises.

In this week’s midterm elections, Democrats won back control of both chambers of Congress, with stunning victories in battleground states that have voters and tech critics asking: Was this the AI election?

Artificial intelligence was central to the national conversation during the midterms, alongside concerns about affordability and the Iran war. From data centers needed to power AI to how it’s used in surveillance tech like Flock cameras, many Democratic (and a few Republican) candidates campaigned against AI.

Tech critics were quick to claim success, too. Alan Butler, president of the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center, called it “a resounding victory” and said that ”voters made clear in this election that they are sick and tired of big tech companies manipulating them, buying politicians and elections, and surveilling their families and communities.”

Despite tech leaders like Elon Musk pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican campaigns, tech critics say voters’ choices show a strong distrust in Big Tech and give the newly elected leaders the necessary momentum for change. But how, exactly, they deliver on those goals remains to be seen — and will have real consequences for tech consumers and companies.

“It is time for lawmakers to get real about reining in unchecked tech power and to hold these companies accountable to the people,” Butler says. 

More than any other tech issue, data centers took center stage in the midterm elections.

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