On the Media Deep Fakes, Data Centers, and AI Slop — Are We Cooked?
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Dec 20, 2025 
Maria Curi, a tech policy reporter from Axios, dives into Trump's controversial executive order on AI regulation and the political stakes for the GOP. Stephen Witt discusses the energy demands and economic implications of the booming data center industry—and wonders if AI is a bubble. Craig Silverman reveals how platforms have embraced AI-generated misinformation, removing fact-checks and monetizing fake content. Together, they explore the dangerous mix of technology, politics, and digital deception shaping our future.
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Federal Order Targets State Regulation
- The executive order mainly aims to stop states from regulating AI rather than roll back existing federal rules.
- Legal challenges and political pushback make its long-term impact uncertain.
Grant Leverage As A Chilling Tactic
- The administration may use federal grant leverage to chill state AI rules despite tenuous legal ground.
- That coercive tactic could itself be challenged as unconstitutional.
Training, Not Chatting, Eats Power
- Training large AI models drives the vast majority of energy consumption, far more than routine user queries.
- One rack can use as much electricity per year as dozens of homes, and data centers scale that up massively.