NYS Senator Kristen Gonzalez (D-Queens) and John Thickstun, Assistant Professor at Cornell University, on Artificial Intelligence, May 15th, 2026

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.

00:00–00:52Opening: AI Week at the NY Capitol

00:52–05:37Guardrails for Chatbots

05:37–09:29AI Literacy, Surveillance Concerns & Corporate Responsibility

09:29–13:51Hyper-Scale Data Centers, Climate Law & Energy Grid Stress

13:51–18:12Worker Protection, Federal Overreach & New York’s AI Agenda

18:12–19:38Transition: From Statehouse to Lab – Introducing Cornell’s Perspective

19:38–27:06John Thickstun on AI’s Evolution, Economic Shocks & Historical Parallels

27:06–35:08Regulation, Copyright, US–China Competition & Energy for AI

35:08–39:30Data Center Debates, AI Efficiency & How People Should Prepare Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices