AI Pulse #119: Sanders Seeks Freeze on AI Data Center Builds, Databricks Raises $4B as AI Business Heats Up, +MORE
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Latest Funding News
This week, Bernie Sanders calls for a nationwide pause on AI data center construction, an important move in the ongoing conversation about AI’s future. Meanwhile, Databricks has secured $4 billion in funding, pushing its AI business into overdrive with a $134 billion valuation. Keep reading for more of this week’s top stories!
Top Trending AI News
1. Bernie Sanders Calls for Nationwide Pause on AI Data Center Builds
Publisher: Business Insider
Published: 12/17/2025
Bernie Sanders calls for a US pause on AI data center construction to let democracy catch up with tech advancements, citing job loss and social concerns.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ Sanders seeks AI construction pause.
2️⃣ AI’s fast growth worries Sanders.
3️⃣ Job loss, human impact concerns.
4️⃣ Moratorium proposed on AI centers.
5️⃣ Sanders aims to slow AI progress.
2. Trump Admin to Recruit 1,000 for Elite Tech Force to Modernize Government
Publisher: Fox News
Published: 12/15/2025
Tech Force initiative by Trump admin aims to recruit 1,000 technologists to boost AI adoption in federal agencies for modernization.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ Trump launches Tech Force to boost AI in government.
2️⃣ Tech Force aims for 1,000 new tech hires.
3️⃣ AI initiative partners with top tech firms.
4️⃣ Recruits offered up to $200k salaries.
5️⃣ Tech Force to enhance federal tech talent.
3. Teachers Use Software to Detect AI in Essays: The Risks of False Positives
Publisher: NPR
Published: 12/16/2025
Ailsa Ostovitz disputes AI cheating claims, highlighting errors in AI detection tools used by educators, amidst broader concerns over fairness and accuracy.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ Student falsely accused of using AI in schoolwork.
2️⃣ AI detection tools lack reliability, study finds.
3️⃣ Schools spend big on flawed AI detectors.
4️⃣ Teachers urged to trust judgment over AI tools.
5️⃣ AI tool skepticism grows among educators.
4. Lewiston City Councilors Unanimously Reject AI Data Center Proposal
Publisher: Newscenter Maine
Published: 12/17/2025
Lewiston City Council unanimously rejects a $300M AI data center proposal for Bates Mill No. 3 amid resident concerns.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ Lewiston council rejects $300M AI center plan.
2️⃣ Bates Mill redevelopment proposal denied.
3️⃣ Residents’ concerns halt data center project.
4️⃣ Mill-Compute’s plan for tech hub falls through.
5️⃣ Proposal for AI center in Lewiston fails.
5. AI Creates Non-Existent Academic Papers Cited in Journals
Publisher: Rolling Stone
Published: 12/17/2025
Fake citations in academic papers, created by AI, threaten research integrity, mixing real and artificial sources, undermining academic credibility.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ Fake articles threaten research integrity.
2️⃣ AI-generated citations infest scholarship.
3️⃣ Fake studies cited in real research.
4️⃣ AI undermines data’s reliability.
5️⃣ Pressure to publish fuels problem.
6. Murray Aims to Stop AI Integration in Medicare Approval Process
Publisher: Seattle Times
Published: 12/15/2025
Sen. Patty Murray to introduce bill blocking AI in Medicare reviews, aiming to protect seniors from care delays and privatization efforts.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ Sen. Murray moves to block AI in Medicare reviews.
2️⃣ Bill targets AI’s potential to deny care.
3️⃣ AI pilot could privatize Medicare, cut benefits.
4️⃣ Health providers criticize prior authorization barriers.
5️⃣ Pilot aims to reduce Medicare fraud, waste.
7. OpenAI Boosts ChatGPT Images With 4x Faster Generation Speed
Publisher: Fox News
Published: 12/16/2025
OpenAI boosts ChatGPT Images with faster, more precise updates for real-world visual creation.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ ChatGPT Images now faster and follows instructions better.
2️⃣ Update turns ChatGPT into a versatile creative studio.
3️⃣ OpenAI shifts focus to enhance ChatGPT amidst competition.
4️⃣ OpenAI to delay other projects for ChatGPT improvements.
5️⃣ OpenAI seeks funding to compete with profitable Google AI.
8. YouTube Closes Channels for AI-Generated Fake Movie Trailers
Publisher: Deadline
Published: 12/18/2025
YouTube shut down two channels, Screen Culture and KH Studio, for using AI to create fake movie trailers, violating policies after a surge in deceptive content.
1️⃣ YouTube shuts down fake AI trailer channels.
2️⃣ AI fake trailers fool millions on YouTube.
3️⃣ Hollywood battles AI’s impact on copyrights.
4️⃣ Studios secretly profit from AI video ads.
5️⃣ Disney fights AI copyright infringement.
9. Nadella to Microsoft Execs: Embrace AI or Leave
Publisher: Business Insider
Published: 12/17/2025
Nadella views AI as crucial for Microsoft, leading major shifts to focus on AI development, reorganizing leadership, and encouraging a faster, leaner approach.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ Nadella sees AI as a big chance to shape his legacy.
2️⃣ Microsoft reshapes around AI, pushing big changes.
3️⃣ New roles aim to speed up Microsoft’s AI efforts.
4️⃣ AI changes how Microsoft makes and delivers software.
5️⃣ Leadership shifts expected as Microsoft focuses on AI.
10. HDD Prices Soar Amid AI Boom And China’s PC Drive, Biggest Rise In 2 Years
Publisher: Tom’s Hardware
Published: 12/15/2025
HDD market faces pressure from AI expansion and China’s PC push, leading to the largest price increase in two years. Demand up as HDDs remain essential for data storage.
TAKEAWAYS
1️⃣ HDD prices rise sharply due to AI and China’s PC market.
2️⃣ China’s policy boosts HDD demand over SSDs.
3️⃣ AI data centers drive up HDD needs.
4️⃣ HDD production struggles to meet global demand.
5️⃣ Hard drives central again in tech growth story.
AI Image of the Week
Prompt: A Stop-motion clay robot slumped on a desk with a big pause icon hovering above its head, fingerprint clay texture, warm practical lighting, handmade miniature set, shallow depth of field
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