“We need to break up a lot of these companies that are far, far too big and we need to be instituting consumer protections for people,” Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n
Her statements reveal one of the many ways lawmakers are grappling with the realities of the AI race<\/a> as companies feel the squeeze of global demand for processing power and as local communities wrestle with the costs of their use.<\/p>\n Like many other progressives, Ocasio-Cortez has advocated for a more government-led response, citing a distrust of corporate influence.<\/a><\/p>\n THE RISE OF AI: WHEN WILL CONGRESS REGULATE IT?<\/a><\/p>\n Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arrives to the U.S. Capitol for the last votes of the week on Friday, May 15, 2026. (Tom Williams\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)<\/p>\n “The problem that we have is that these big companies think they are governments. They want to be governments. They want to have totally unchecked power,” Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n In recent weeks, Apple\u2019s outgoing CEO Tim Cook<\/a> signaled that the company might soon have no choice but to pass some of its climbing costs off to consumers.<\/p>\n “Unfortunately, price increases<\/a> are unavoidable,” Cook said in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n “We\u2019re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we\u2019ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable.”<\/p>\n For years, companies like Apple have dominated demand for the processing chip market, the part of a computer that acts as the brain of a device. These chips, which require highly sophisticated production, allow computers to perform calculations, process data and execute commands.<\/p>\n AI COMES WITH A HEFTY CHARGE. ARE YOU THE ONE WHO GETS STUCK WITH THE BILL?<\/a><\/p>\n Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., walks down the House steps after a vote at the U.S. Capitol on April 23, 2026. (Bill Clark\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)<\/p>\n Now that AI companies are also adding to demand, Apple finds itself competing for a dwindling supply of processors, driving the company\u2019s costs up.<\/p>\n Beyond her views on the relationship between the government and business, Ocasio-Cortez said that she believes it’s time Congress re-visit ways it can mitigate costs of the AI-race that have climbed on a local level. In particular, she believes it\u2019s time for lawmakers to address the energy strain of data centers.<\/a><\/p>\n When asked if she believed Congress should consider something beyond the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, President Joe Biden’s<\/a> signature technology investment bill that became law in 2022, Ocasio-Cortez said she thought so.<\/p>\n “The CHIPS Act was passed before we saw this huge development in AI, so the CHIPS Act was really passed before data centers were a thing, so it wasn\u2019t designed to anticipate the huge amount of supply that these centers are sucking up,” Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n IN 2026, ENERGY WAR\u2019S NEW FRONT IS AI, AND US MUST WIN THAT BATTLE, API CHIEF SAYS<\/a><\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks to members of the media as she arrives for the last votes of the week at the U.S. Capitol Building on May 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. Ocasio-Cortez criticized the recently released DNC autopsy of the 2024 election’s timing and its exclusion of any mention of Gaza. (Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Among other provisions, the CHIP act included $11.2 billion to modernize the country\u2019s energy grid, created clean energy<\/a> innovation programs and included $39 billion in domestic semiconductor production incentives.<\/p>\n![\"Alexandria](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-walks-into-House.jpeg\")
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