OpenAI plans political public relations strategy following United States midterm elections

TechCrunch reported that OpenAI is preparing a public relations strategy following the United States midterm elections. The initiative aims to influence the ongoing debate around artificial intelligence policy. Chris Lehane, the chief global affairs officer at OpenAI, told Axios that the upcoming midterms will serve as a preview for the 2028 presidential election, where he expects artificial intelligence to become a primary issue. [1]

According to TechCrunch, OpenAI is considering several policy proposals as part of its strategy. These proposals include establishing artificial intelligence speed limits and rebranding data centers as artificial intelligence compute campuses. TechCrunch noted that data centers have faced public backlash, prompting the proposed shift in terminology. [1]

A data center is a specialized facility used for storing, managing, and disseminating digital data, as well as hosting information technology infrastructure and training artificial intelligence models. OpenAI has expanded its infrastructure as its valuation reached approximately 852 billion dollars following a 122 billion dollar funding round in March 2026. By late October 2026, the company was in discussions to raise an additional 30 billion dollars at a 1.25 trillion dollar valuation. [2][3]

OpenAI previously launched its ChatGPT service in 2022, which grew to exceed 1.2 billion weekly active users by late September 2026. TechCrunch reported that the company now intends to shape public perception by demonstrating how artificial intelligence can empower individuals as political debate around the technology increases. [1][3]