When a sitting senator and the world's richest man argue about the future of artificial intelligence on social media, things get interesting fast. This week, Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk and Sen. Bernie Sanders engaged in a public war of words over whether America should pump the brakes on AI data center construction.
Sanders Wants to Hit Pause on AI Infrastructure
Sanders kicked things off Tuesday by calling for a full moratorium on new AI data centers. His argument? The AI boom isn't being built for working families—it's being driven by billionaires chasing "more wealth and even more power." He warned that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence threatens to eliminate tens of millions of jobs while straining public resources to the breaking point.
The Vermont independent doubled down Wednesday, pointing out that AI data centers could spike electricity bills while generating emissions comparable to driving more than 300 billion miles. "We need a moratorium on the construction of new AI data centers," Sanders wrote.
Musk Fires Back With Space Talk
The exchange heated up after someone on X suggested it might be easier to colonize space than to fix bureaucratic red tape here on Earth. Musk seized the opportunity to take a shot at Sanders: "The takers like Bernie will eventually follow the makers, but they're cowards too and lack any sense of adventure, so they will wait until it is safe."
That's the kind of line that guarantees a response, and Sanders delivered one. He rejected Musk's framing entirely, turning the debate toward economic inequality and worker displacement.
Sanders Reframes the Fight Around Jobs
"Yes, Elon. I do lack 'any sense of adventure' when that 'adventure' will, as you have made clear, force tens of millions of workers out of their jobs," Sanders shot back. He added that AI and robotics should exist "to improve life for all people, not just to make you and your fellow oligarchs even richer."
It's a fundamental disagreement about what technological progress should look like and who benefits from it.
The Power Problem Is Real
Sanders isn't making up the energy concerns. Experts estimate data centers already consume roughly 5% of U.S. electricity, and that percentage is expected to climb sharply as AI adoption accelerates. That's a lot of power, and someone has to generate it.
Musk's solution? Take the whole operation to space. Earlier this month, he revealed that SpaceX is moving forward with plans to use satellites as orbiting data centers. The idea came up after ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood highlighted an open-source model suggesting SpaceX could hit a valuation near $2.5 trillion by 2030.
Musk responded by saying satellites with localized AI computing that beam data back to Earth could become the cheapest way to produce AI data streams within three years. He argued space-based systems might also be the fastest path to scaling AI within four years, especially as reliable and affordable electricity becomes harder to secure on Earth.
Tesla's AI Chip Ambitions
Meanwhile, Musk isn't slowing down on the terrestrial side either. He previously announced that Tesla is now delivering the fourth generation of its AI chip, AI4, while wrapping up AI5 and beginning early work on AI6. The long-term goal is to push a new chip design into mass production every year.
He also said Tesla expects to eventually manufacture more AI chips than the rest of the industry combined—a bold claim that fits right into Musk's pattern of setting ambitious targets.
For now, Tesla stock continues to maintain a solid upward trend across multiple time frames, reflecting investor confidence in the company's AI and automotive ambitions.