Pelosi's Successor Wants to Hit the Brakes on AI — But the Data Center Backlash Is Stuck at the Power Meter

Hours after Scott Wiener won the San Francisco congressional seat vacated by Nancy Pelosi, he repeatedly brought up the phrase "recursive self-improvement" in public interviews. During a 20-minute conversation with MIT Technology Review's Grace Huckins, the phrase came up a total of six times.

He delivered a blunt, straightforward message: "We need to slow down." Things are moving so fast that we risk sleepwalking straight into a catastrophic outcome. He describes himself as only "cautiously optimistic" that Congress is capable of properly regulating AI. As a former California state senator, he has already written legislation targeting risks posed by advanced AI. Now that he is moving to the federal level, he is poised to become a key player shaping national AI policy. Original Article

The Data Center Backlash Ultimately Boils Down to Electricity

Around last week's US election day, James O'Donnell was on the ground in Ashburn, Virginia, the hub known as Data Center Alley — the largest data center cluster in the world, and one of the first places where public pushback against the data center boom began to take shape. Big tech companies have framed the data center debate as a cultural war centered on progress. After several days on location in Ashburn, he concluded that the real dividing line in the fight is electricity: whether a data center draws power from the shared grid or generates power on site, it draws distinct forms of public pushback. The industry can polish its public image all it wants, but it cannot avoid its massive, unyielding appetite for power. Original Article

Other Stories Worth Your Time Today

• The FBI is investigating an alleged extramarital affair involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Trump has stated Huang does not need to worry about the probe. Huang hired a public relations firm known for handling sex scandal crises last year. The related allegations could push new restrictions on chip exports, and also draw scrutiny to his lobbying work on China-related issues. AP Wired Reuters
• France has accused Iranian hackers of carrying out cyberattacks targeting supermarket refrigeration units, and prosecutors are investigating the head of Iran's cyber warfare unit. The target of such attacks is shifting from digital data to physical infrastructure. NPR Axios
• The ongoing war with Iran has constrained global energy supply, leading to a drop in global carbon emissions in 2026, though analysts project the decline will be only temporary. New Scientist Gizmodo
• The FDA is mandating new blindness warning labels for GLP-1 class weight loss and diabetes drugs, noting the medications may raise the risk of sudden vision loss. A separate report from MIT Technology Review explores how these drugs can worsen underlying eating disorders. NBC News MIT Technology Review
• Australia is considering introducing criminal liability for harms caused by out-of-control AI agents, following a high-profile incident where an AI agent hacked into government systems. BBC
• The Pentagon is drafting plans to establish a patrol constellation around the moon, with the first batch of five satellites potentially launching as early as 2029. Ars Technica
• Voters in York, Maine and League City, Texas have passed bans on Flock automatic license plate recognition surveillance cameras. Vox
• Constant digital monitoring is reshaping childhood development, with location-tracking parental apps linked to increased childhood anxiety and reduced resilience. Atlantic
• A tiny RNA molecule may hold clues to the origins of life, supporting the widely held theory among researchers that life first emerged from self-replicating molecular structures. Quanta
• The science fiction novel The End of Everything has become the first sci-fi work ever to win the Booker Prize. Gizmodo

Quote of the Day

"Nvidia is no ordinary company, and Jensen Huang is no ordinary CEO: he is Nvidia, the person who sets the long-term strategy and direction, and personally pulls most of the strings that move the company," Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon told Reuters. The statement explains why removing Huang from his post at Nvidia would be extremely difficult. Reuters

Offshore Ocean Ranches

Feature image: Offshore aquaculture facility.

Not far from Yantai, China, the "Geng Hai 1" is a surreal hybrid offshore complex: part tourist attraction, part industrial fish farm, complete with a seven-story visitor center shaped like a cartoon starfish. Its core function, however, is selective fish breeding, before releasing the cultivated young fish back into open waters.

It is part of China's national ocean ranch initiative. Since 2015, China has built 169 demonstration ocean ranches, releasing at least 167 billion juvenile fish and shellfish into surrounding waters. The program has also drawn widespread controversy. MIT Technology Review

Original newsletter: The Download, November 10 2026, Thomas Macaulay. Link