The candidates responding to questions about the issues are Republican nominee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Democratic nominee Jerri Green and independent candidates David Hatley and Lauren Pinkston. Their answers come as Nashville and several other Tennessee communities have paused or banned new data center construction, while Elon Musk’s xAI facility in Memphis has drawn local opposition over emissions, water infrastructure and possible effects on utility bills.

On data center construction, Blackburn said local communities should decide where facilities are built, while arguing the state must balance responsible development with innovation. Green said projects should proceed only if companies protect natural resources and put communities first. She called for an end to unpermitted, polluting power plants operated by technology companies and said residents should not pay for the industry’s energy demands.

Hatley and Pinkston both called for a statewide pause on new approvals until Tennessee adopts rules for the facilities. Hatley said the state should end tax incentives and other abatements for data centers during the pause. Pinkston said siting standards should address water use, proximity to schools and public institutions, and community input. She also argued that companies should pay for the infrastructure their projects require, with revenue going to the communities that host them.

The candidates also proposed different ways to shield households and small businesses from higher utility costs. Green said technology companies should cover their own infrastructure upgrades, water use and clean-energy offsets rather than passing those costs to customers. Blackburn cited the Ratepayer Protection Pledge and said it was an important step toward protecting consumers from costs tied to data center growth.

Hatley proposed a Tennessee Data Center Ratepayer Protection Act. Under his plan, large new facilities would pay for their electricity and the substations and transmission lines built to serve them, subject to federal law and TVA contracts. They would also disclose and pay for water use, publicly report emissions and provide financial security in case they close, he said. Hatley proposed directing at least half of new data center tax revenue to property-tax relief for homeowners in the host county.

Pinkston called for transparent studies of ratepayer impacts before projects are approved and supported the Tennessee Valley Authority’s move to charge data centers more. She also said local utilities should retain authority over power supplied to facilities, while communities near proposed sites should receive information about potential pollution before construction begins. She called for protections covering water, soil and noise.

On broader AI regulation, Green proposed protections for workers whose jobs may be affected by automation, stronger rules against deceptive deepfakes and a ban on using AI in bail, sentencing or parole decisions. She pointed to Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, which protects artists’ voices and likenesses, as a model for further safeguards.

Pinkston called for making it illegal to use someone’s name, face or likeness in a nonconsensual deepfake. She also proposed stronger data privacy rules, a state registry where people could identify companies holding their information and opt out, and requiring companies earning more than $250 million in Tennessee to pay users a stipend for their data. She said she would bring artists and lawmakers together to develop rules for AI licensing and fair payment, and support internet safety and responsible AI education for children.

Hatley’s AI proposals focused on children’s online privacy and surveillance technology. He called for minors’ accounts to be private by default, limits on strangers messaging children, restrictions on selling children’s data and targeted advertising, and deadlines for platforms to respond to parents reporting threats. He also criticized Flock license-plate cameras, saying errors and misuse can threaten privacy and lead to wrongful police stops.

Blackburn said the United States should remain competitive in AI while ensuring development is responsible and costs do not fall on families. She cited a national AI framework she introduced in the Senate and said she supports protecting children, creators and communities while allowing businesses to innovate.

Tennessee has already adopted several AI-related measures, including the ELVIS Act, a ban on deceptive AI-generated deepfakes in political advertisements and a prohibition on legally classifying AI as a person. The candidates’ proposals would add new state rules as communities weigh the potential economic benefits of data center investment against demands on power, water and local infrastructure.