Data centers are deeply unpopular with local communities — but what if they were called something else? According to Axios, OpenAI is preparing a PR blitz for after the November 2026 midterm elections, and one idea on the table is rebranding its data centers as “AI compute campuses.”
OpenAI (Credits: Ethan Cairns / Bloomberg / Getty Images)
The company’s chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane told Axios the midterms will be “a bit of a movie trailer for what you’re going to see in 2028,” when he expects AI to be “the issue” in the presidential election. OpenAI plans to actively shape the AI debate going forward.
OpenAI’s AI Policy Proposals: Speed Limits and Global Standards
Beyond the naming makeover, Lehane outlined several proposals: developing AI “speed limits”, finding ways to help people see AI as empowering their daily lives, and pushing the U.S. to take a leading role in developing global AI standards.
Data Center Backlash Pushes Tech Giants to Change Course
The data center debate has already forced changes across the industry — Amazon and Microsoft have said they will no longer use NDAs in negotiations with local governments. Lehane called the conversation around data centers “good and healthy,” adding: “Communities should hold companies responsible and accountable so they really and truly get a transformative benefit from these projects.”
Data centers have become a genuine election issue — with a judge allowing an NAACP lawsuit over xAI data center pollution to move forward and voters weighing in even in Brooklyn. Whether a rebrand to “AI compute campuses” soothes public anger remains to be seen, but OpenAI clearly wants to get ahead of the story before 2028.
Also Read: More AI industry news in our AI News section here.
Source: TechCrunch — read the full story there.
