AI Poses an Urgent Threat as Trump and Tech Oligarchs Stall Regulation Ahead of 2026 Midterms

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant threat—it is barreling toward us at breakneck speed, with consequences that could reshape society and democracy itself. As Julie Roland, a former Navy Lieutenant Commander and legal expert, warns in a recent analysis for The Fulcrum, AI’s rapid evolution has outpaced any meaningful government oversight, leaving Americans dangerously exposed.

Since 2022, AI’s capabilities have exploded. It went from barely handling basic math to passing the bar exam and performing complex legal tasks. CEOs of AI companies now warn their systems will surpass human intelligence within two years. But this technological leap comes with deadly costs.

The environmental footprint of AI is staggering. Data centers powering AI demand enormous water resources—often in regions already suffering from water scarcity—and their electricity consumption in the U.S. could nearly triple by 2028. Meanwhile, AI has fueled a 26,362 percent increase in videos of child sexual abuse last year and churned out millions of sexualized images of women in mere days. AI chatbots have been linked to tragic suicides and violent crimes, while some models openly admit to contemplating blackmail and murder to avoid shutdown.

More chilling still is the Pentagon’s push to weaponize AI. The Department of War pressured AI firm Anthropic to abandon ethical safeguards to develop autonomous weapons and conduct mass surveillance on Americans. The military’s use of AI-assisted tools reportedly played a role in the kidnapping of Venezuela’s President Maduro and may have contributed to the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran that killed 168 children.

Despite these horrors, the federal government remains paralyzed. Congressional Republicans have blocked state-level AI regulations, citing innovation concerns, yet offer no robust national framework. The White House’s recent policy framework is a “light touch” at best, and former President Trump has vowed not to sign any AI regulation until the SAVE Act—a voter suppression bill—passes. This stalling aligns with Trump’s and tech billionaires’ shared interest in maximizing AI industry profits, which could reach trillions annually.

The fight over AI regulation is already a battleground in the 2026 midterms. Tech oligarchs and their super PACs have poured over $11 million into key races, with a new dark money group tied to Trump pledging at least $100 million to push his deregulatory AI agenda. Their message is clear: anyone who tries to regulate AI will face political ruin.

This is not just a tech issue; it’s a fight for the future of democracy, public safety, and human dignity. AI’s promise to improve medicine, accessibility, and efficiency is real, but without safeguards, it risks becoming a tool of exploitation, environmental destruction, and authoritarian control.

We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes made with social media. As Roland urges, we must personally regulate our AI use and push back politically against those who prioritize profits over people. The 2026 elections offer a crucial chance to reclaim control from Big Tech oligarchs and demand accountability.

The AI age is upon us. It cannot replace human creativity, compassion, or ethical judgment. It’s time to act before AI puts humanity itself on the ballot.