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NYS Senator Kristen Gonzalez (D-Queens) and John Thickstun, Assistant Professor at Cornell University, on Artificial Intelligence, May 15th, 2026
Description
In the midst of her 3rd annual "AI Week", NYS Senator Kristen Gonzalez (D-Queens) joined Power & Politics.
Gonzalez discussed her legislation targeting chatbots and data centers, along with the current dynamic between the federal government and state government when it comes to regulating artificial intelligence.
The second half of the podcast features John Thickstun, Assistant Professor at Cornell University. He discusses the fears surrounding AI, where the U.S. stacks up in the world when it comes to this technology, data centers, and who should craft policy in this industry.
00:00–00:52
Opening: AI Week at the NY Capitol
00:52–05:37
Guardrails for Chatbots
05:37–09:29
AI Literacy, Surveillance Concerns & Corporate Responsibility
09:29–13:51
Hyper-Scale Data Centers, Climate Law & Energy Grid Stress
13:51–18:12
Worker Protection, Federal Overreach & New York’s AI Agenda
18:12–19:38
Transition: From Statehouse to Lab – Introducing Cornell’s Perspective
19:38–27:06
John Thickstun on AI’s Evolution, Economic Shocks & Historical Parallels
27:06–35:08
Regulation, Copyright, US–China Competition & Energy for AI
35:08–39:30
Data Center Debates, AI Efficiency & How People Should Prepare
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