A.I. Vs. Eh, I’m Walkin’ ‘Ere!

Summary

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What Next: TBD – Tech, power, and the future

Episode: A.I. Vs. Eh, I’m Walkin’ ‘Ere!

Host: Lizzie O’Leary | Guest: Nitish Pawa
Date: July 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into New York’s groundbreaking moratorium on new “hyperscale” data centers. Host Lizzie O'Leary and tech writer Nitish Pawa discuss why Governor Kathy Hochul enacted this pause, the legislative tussle leading up to it, the implications for tech, AI, and national interests, and the mixed reactions from New Yorkers, the tech industry, and politicians. The conversation frames this decision as a wake-up call for an industry racing to build ever-larger data infrastructure—with New York unexpectedly leading the charge in pressing pause.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Governor Hochul’s Surprise Data Center Moratorium

• Lizzie introduces the central topic: New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s “first-of-its-kind” executive order — a one-year pause on permits for large new data centers using 50+ megawatts of power (01:23).
• Nitish explains the legislative context:
  • The New York legislature passed a bill for a similar moratorium, sent it to Hochul’s desk.
  • Instead of signing the bill, Hochul issues a simpler executive order citing the bill's complexity and restrictions (01:53).

2. The Power & Scale of Data Centers

• Discussion centers on “hyperscale” data centers (those using 50+ MW), which are driving concerns about energy consumption, local impacts, and environmental consequences (02:51).
• This move marks the first such restriction at a U.S. state level, signaling seriousness about tech infrastructure’s physical and environmental footprints.

3. Reactions: Local, National, Global

• Nitish outlines several reactions (02:54–03:41):
  • Local/State: Many New Yorkers and advocacy groups are pleased, seeing it as protecting resources and communities.
  • National: Political backlash from members of Congress and the President, arguing that restricting data centers risks losing out to China in the “data center race.”
  • Quotes key politicians: “The president is not happy about it. He says that data centers are, quote, money machines and thinks that New York needs to change course.” (03:19)
  • Politicians such as Josh Gottheimer and John Fetterman frame it as a national security and competitiveness concern.
• Tech Industry Response: Industry advocacy groups see it as a potential trendsetter, warning if it can happen in New York, it might pop up in other states (03:41).

4. Broader Implications

• The moratorium signals a wake-up call to the tech industry: rapid data center expansion could face coordinated resistance at the state level (03:41).
• The episode suggests a narrative shift: Not just about environmental impact, but also economic and geopolitical ramifications ("China is going to win the data center race").

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lizzie O’Leary (Host):
  • “We are here to talk to you about business, technology, the things you cover, not diarrhea. Welcome back, Tish.” (01:09)
• Nitish Pawa (Guest):
  • “[Governor Hochul] kept this executive order a pretty simple no permits for new data center projects for a year.” (02:11)
  • “Those are the quote, unquote, hyperscale data centers that have really been the bulk of concern.” (02:54)
  • “The president is not happy about it. He says that data centers are, quote, money machines and thinks New York needs to change course.” (03:19)
  • “If it can happen in a state like New York, it could happen probably anywhere.” (04:17)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:23 | Introduction of data center moratorium by Governor Hochul | | 01:53 | Legislative background and governor’s motivation | | 02:51 | What is a “hyperscale” data center and why it matters | | 03:19 | National political response (President, Congress, “China race” rhetoric) | | 04:17 | Industry reaction and warning about wider adoption |

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Episode Tone and Language

The episode maintains a conversational and lightly humorous tone, even as it addresses complex policy and technological questions. Lizzie’s wry remarks (“We are here to talk to you about … not diarrhea”) set a relaxed stage, while Nitish delivers clear-eyed, concise analysis using the language of both tech reporting and policy observation.

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Conclusion

New York’s executive order pausing hyperscale data centers marks a pivotal development in U.S. tech infrastructure policy—possibly the beginning of a trend. Lizzie and Nitish lay out the key facts, diverse viewpoints, and wider implications for listeners curious about how fights over AI, data infrastructure, and state power are shaping our shared future.

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Transcript

[A]

Hello and happy Friday, Slate Stars. This is the moment when we go off the record just for you, our Slate plus friends and neighbors. If you're listening to this, you're a Slate plus member. We love you, et cetera, et cetera. Over in the regular what Next Universe, we have talked about Todd Blanche, we've talked about Gerontocracy, and my favorite story of the mom explosive diarrhea. We've been talking about the cyclospora outbreak. That is not funny. And yet saying the word diarrhea is unfortunately very funny. But we're not talking about any of those today. I hope we're not talking about any of those today.

[B]

Tish. I did find out a friend of mine in Michigan did get the virus.

[A]

It's a parasite. It's a parasite, not a virus.

[B]

Parasite. Yes. Thank you for correcting me. He's pretty much fine, though. Like he said, he just had mild symptoms, thankfully and didn't find out until getting tested. So just offering that anecdote out there.

[A]

I am going to Michigan soon and I am extremely worried about. Yeah, there will be no lettuce. I will have no lettuce in Michigan. But that is not what we're talking about today. We're not Nitish, Pawa. We are here to talk to you about business, technology, the things you cover, not diarrhea. Welcome back, Tish.

[B]

Thank you so much, Lizzy. Always happy to be here.

[A]

Thank you. All right, so today, actually, we are here to talk about data centers. The big news this week, Governor Kathy Hochul of this state that we are currently in New York surprised us, frankly, with an announcement of a first of its kind data center moratorium here in the Empire State. Let's lay it out. Say what's going on here, Tish? Talk me through it.

[B]

Absolutely. Yeah. So this was an interesting situation because the legislature in Albany had passed by pretty commanding majorities, a temporary pause on data centers and had sent it to the governor's desk. Right now she's going through her normal cycle of deciding which bill she wants to sign, veto, etc. And instead of signing the legislature's bill, she decided to go with her own executive order. The explanation from her office was that the bill that made it to her was a little too complex and perhaps a little too constricting. And so for her, she kept this executive order a pretty simple no permits for new data center projects for a year.

[A]

And it's that use 50 or more megawatts of power.

[B]

Right, Exactly. So those are the quote, unquote, hyperscale data centers that have really been the bulk of concern. And yeah, I mean, it's the first of its kind, as you said, to actually be enacted at the state level. There was a bill that made it to the governor's desk in Maine but was vetoed ultimately. And the reactions have been interesting. Obviously, there are a lot of New Yorkers and New York advocacy groups that are very happy about it. The president is not happy about it. He says that data centers are, quote, money machines and thinks that New York needs to change course. And a lot of people in Congress who either like, support data centers generally in AI or are like real China hawks are saying this is bad news. This means China is going to win the data center race. Josh gottheimer, John Fetterman, you know, some of the usual suspects are the ones behind that talking point. And of course you're seeing criticism of it, you know, in other circles. But for the most part, I think New Yorkers are very satisfied with this decision and it's definitely served already as a bit of a wake up call to the tech industry with regard to the data center rush. There was a item in Politico a couple days ago about how some folks from like, data center advocacy groups are like, yeah, if it can happen in a state like New York, it could happen probably anywhere.

[A]

That's it for now. And if you want to hear the rest of this episode, the way to do it is to subscribe to Slate plus, unlock Slate plus now by going to slate.com whatnext Plus.