This is a podcast episode from the Guardian's Politics Weekly America series, in which host Jonathan Freedland speaks to historian Jill Lepore about a growing backlash against artificial intelligence and datacentres, and how it might shape the November US midterm elections. With the vote less than three months away, voters are weighing concerns about grocery prices and the Iran war alongside unease over AI infrastructure, and Lepore explores whether this signals the beginning of the end for what she terms the "artificial state".

The episode points listeners to related Guardian content, including a Today in Focus episode on proposed datacentre plans for Brick Lane in London and Lepore's accompanying Long Read essay. It forms part of the outlet's ongoing US politics coverage ahead of the midterms, examining how technology and AI policy are becoming entangled with mainstream electoral concerns.