Jill Lepore Warns AI Backlash Could Sway November Midterms in Under 3 Months
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 21
Jill Lepore Warns AI Backlash Could Sway November Midterms in Under 3 Months
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 21
Summary
Less than three months before the midterms, historian Jill Lepore said voter anger over AI and datacentres could shape November election choices alongside grocery prices and the Iran war.
On the Guardian’s Politics Weekly America podcast, Lepore argued the emerging “artificial state” is “doomed,” framing the backlash as a political liability rather than a niche tech debate.
Datacentres have become a visible flashpoint in that argument, with the discussion tied to wider public concern over AI’s local and civic impact.
The episode casts the AI backlash as a new electoral issue entering the final stretch of the 2026 midterm campaign.