Some of Silicon Valley's biggest AI boosters are warning that artificial intelligence could become a defining issue in the 2028 presidential election as voters grow increasingly uneasy about the massive infrastructure buildout needed to power the technology.
Box CEO Aaron Levie told the Andreessen Horowitz podcast that the next presidential contest could effectively become an "AI election," forcing candidates to confront growing public anxiety surrounding the technology.
"The next election will 100% be a referendum on AI," Levie said. "So it has to happen that 2028 is the AI election."
Levie argued that supporters face a messaging problem because making the case for rapid AI development is complicated, while opposition can be communicated through simple warnings about its potential dangers.
Steven Sinofsky, a board partner at a16z and former Microsoft executive, argued that AI skeptics have already seized control of the language surrounding the debate.
"We own none of the vocabulary," Sinofsky said. "The whole debate is pause. It's swarms. It's rogue. Every word has been chosen by the people who don't want to do AI."
The warning comes as President Donald Trump aggressively pushes to cement American dominance in AI, including by accelerating construction of the data centers and energy infrastructure required to support the technology.
The Trump administration's National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence calls on Congress to streamline federal permitting for AI infrastructure while ensuring residential customers do not face higher electricity bills because of new data centers.
However, public opinion suggests selling that buildout could be a political death trap for candidates seeking the highest office in the land.
A Fox News poll conducted September 11-14 found 71% of registered voters oppose an AI data center being built in their area, including 46% who strongly oppose one. Just 26% support local construction.
To make matters worse, the skepticism extends beyond where the facilities are built. A September Marquette Law School Poll found 71% of Americans believe the costs of data centers outweigh their benefits, compared with 29% who believe the benefits outweigh the costs. The survey also found 64% believe AI is bad for society, while 36% consider it a good thing.
The Trump administration has sought to tackle one of the biggest sources of voter concern: electricity prices.
Under Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, major technology companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI agreed to build, bring or buy new power generation and cover infrastructure upgrades required for their data centers rather than passing those costs onto households.