RegulatingAI Podcast: Innovate Responsibly

AI Companions, Digital Power & the Future of AI Governance | Ivana Bartoletti

Can AI companions manipulate the most vulnerable, and are existing regulations strong enough to protect us? On the Regulating AI Podcast, Sanjay Puri speaks with Ivana Bartoletti, Global Chief Privacy and AI Governance Officer at Wipro, about AI companions, democratic accountability, AI sovereignty, and the limits of voluntary safeguards. From protecting children to governing autonomous AI agents, this AI Policy 100 conversation examines why meaningful human oversight and enforceable regulation matter more than ever.

The Public Built the AI Boom. What Does It Owe Us? | Sandra Wachter

AI is powered by more than algorithms. Public money, data, land, water, and electricity help fuel its rise. So should society get something back? On the Regulating AI Podcast, Sanjay Puri speaks with Oxford Professor Sandra Wachter about AI liability, the EU AI Act, enforceable regulation, and why AI governance must go beyond preventing harm to delivering genuine public benefit. If society helps build AI, shouldn’t society share in its rewards?

The AI Boom vs. the Neighborhood: Who Bears the Cost?

America’s AI ambitions are colliding with local realities. From power lines and noise pollution to community resistance and investor risk, this discussion explores why building data centers is becoming about more than infrastructure. Recorded live at the Powering the AI Decade Data Center Forum in Virginia, experts examine how developers can earn public trust, navigate political uncertainty, and build the infrastructure AI needs without leaving communities behind.

AI on the Ballot: Is Data Center Backlash Becoming a Political Liability?

As data centers multiply and electricity bills climb, America’s AI boom is facing a new challenge: public opinion. Recorded live at the Powering the AI Decade Data Center Forum in Virginia, lawmakers and policy experts unpack the growing political backlash, community resistance, Big Tech accountability, and the stakes for the US midterm elections. Can America win the AI race without losing public trust?

Who Pays for the AI Boom? The Battle Over America’s Electricity Bills

AI data centers are consuming more power—but should households pay the price? Recorded live at the Powering the AI Decade Data Center Forum in Virginia, this discussion unpacks the high-stakes battle over electricity costs, grid investments, regulatory accountability, and consumer protection. As America races to power its AI future, one question looms large: who pays, who profits, and who carries the risk?

Permission to Build: Who Controls America’s AI Infrastructure?

Who gets to decide where AI data centers go—and who foots the bill? Recorded live at the Powering the AI Decade Data Center Forum in Virginia, lawmakers debate community consent, rising electricity costs, environmental accountability, and America’s AI ambitions. A timely conversation about the politics, power, and public interest shaping the infrastructure race.

AI’s future depends on more than computing power. From grid constraints and community resistance to energy innovation and policy reform, industry and policy leaders explore the infrastructure challenge shaping America’s AI ambitions. Recorded live at the Powering the AI Decade Data Center Forum in Tysons, Virginia, this conversation examines what it will take to power the next era of AI.

In Episode 5 of AI on the Ballot, Congressman Ted Lieu, Professor Aziz Huq, and Ben Winters tackle the urgent question: who really governs AI in America? With Congress yet to pass a comprehensive federal AI law, states like Colorado and New York have stepped in — only to face federal pushback. This episode explores the battle between state and federal AI regulation, the risks of deepfakes and AI fraud, and the national security stakes in the U.S.–China tech race.

From consumer protection to catastrophic risk, from data centers to civil rights, our guests reveal how AI touches every aspect of democracy and daily life. Learn why “patchwork laws” may be more myth than reality, how industry lobbyists shape the debate, and what voters

should demand from their representatives. Essential viewing for policymakers, technologists, and engaged citizens tracking the future of AI governance, innovation, and democracy in the United States.

Ohio might be the most important state in America for understanding how AI is reshaping politics — and Congressman Greg Landsman doesn't hold back on why.

In Episode 4 of AI on the Ballot, hosts Bennett Iorio and Sanjay Puri go deep on Ohio — a state where data centers, electricity costs, manufacturing job losses, and a total absence of AI regulation are all colliding in the same election cycle. They're joined by Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH-01), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, for a wide-ranging conversation on what accountability for Big Tech should actually look like.

In this episode:

00:00 Episode starts

01:17 Why a conversation on Ohio matters

10:04 Rep. Greg Landsman joins

10:44 Ohio's tax breaks

13:04 The White House ratepayer pledge vs. Landsman's legislation

13:55 Manufacturing jobs and the automation threat

18:45 Does AI really create more jobs than it destroys?

24:24 Should Ohio regulate AI on its own?

26:12 AI, deepfakes, and disclosure in Ohio elections

29:50 Landsman's pitch for a federal AI regulatory body

32:07 The one question every Ohio voter should ask

34:16 Bennett and Sanjay debrief the conversation

This is AI on the Ballot, a weekly series exploring the 2026 US midterms through the lens of AI policy — state by state, race by race. New episodes every week. Watch the full series on the RegulatingAI YouTube channel and listen on all major podcast platforms.

#AIOnTheBallot #Ohio #GregLandsman #GreatAmericanAIAct #DataCenters #AIPolicy #Midterms2026 #RegulatingAI

AI on the Ballot is a non-partisan program of Regulating AI, a 501(c)(3) organization. Appearances do not constitute an endorsement.

This program is produced in association with the GIE Foundation.

In Episode 3 of AI on the Ballot, we go inside the Colorado race. On the record. Non-partisan. With the candidates and voices shaping how Colorado answers the questions every state is now facing: Who pays for the AI economy? Who regulates it? And what happens to Colorado workers as the technology reshapes the economy?

00:00 - 01:39: Intro

01:39 - 03:57 Colorado AI Landscape

04:36 - 06:56 Tech Infrastructure Funding

07:13 - 09:37 Data Tariff Conflicts

09:45 - 10:56 Local Job Growth

10:56 - 11:46 Long-Term Employment Risks

12:47 - 15:07 Policy Leadership Role

15:08 - 19:14 Workforce Education Prep

19:15 - 22:45 Education System Responsibility

22:58 - 26:35 State AI Regulation

27:09 - 29:01 Federal Versus State

29:15 - 32:17 Mitigating AI Harms

32:40 - 35:36 Inaction by Federalists

35:58 - 38:48 Election Disclosure Laws

38:52 - 40:57 Political Disinformation Rules

41:30 - 42:15 Voter AI Awareness

42:16 - 46:02 Key Candidate Questions

46:03 - 47:47 Future Legislative Priorities

#aiontheballot #elections #colorado #politics #aieconomy