Top executives at Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI firms are quietly planning for a public and political revolt after a catastrophic AI event — bad news for the industry's political cover, and a gift to candidates running against data centers.

• The scenarios being mapped out reportedly include AI shutting down financial systems or knocking out water and power.
• Anger over hyperscale data centers — their water and electricity use, and their effect on home values — is now merging with wider fear about AI safety.
• The backlash crosses party lines in Michigan, where Will Lawrence is running in the seventh district on an immediate pause on new data centers and advanced AI work.
• House Republicans voted last year to block state and local rules on AI and data centers for ten years; the Senate stripped it out before passage.
• The same race is turning on gas and diesel costs tied to the Iran war, and on tariffs that keep changing and leave businesses unable to plan.

Outlook: Expect a wave of hastily filed AI and data center bills in Congress, with a real chance of bipartisan action early next year.