Alex Vindman launches Florida US Senate bid and warns about AI risks

In short: Alex Vindman, a former National Security Council official who testified in President Trump’s first impeachment, is running for US Senate in Florida and says AI needs clear guardrails.

What happened

Alex Vindman, an Army veteran and former director for European affairs on the National Security Council, told WIRED he is running for the US Senate seat in Florida currently held by Republican Ashley Moody. Vindman became a national figure in 2019 when he testified to Congress about a phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, which he said raised national security concerns.

Vindman said that testimony ended his military career. After being removed from his role, he retired from the Army in 2020. He moved to Florida in 2023, and he said rising costs and concerns about government accountability pushed him to run.

In the interview, Vindman also laid out concerns about artificial intelligence, meaning computer systems that can generate text, images, and other content. He said the US should keep its lead in AI, but also reduce harm. He pointed to deepfakes, which are fake audio or video that can look real (like a convincing forgery), as a risk in politics and national security.

He also highlighted practical local issues tied to AI, including the growth of data centers, which are large buildings full of computers that power online services. Vindman said data centers can drive up electricity and water use, and he argued communities should not be priced out of utilities.

Why it matters

AI policy is moving from tech circles into everyday politics, partly because it can affect elections, jobs, and household bills. Candidates like Vindman are framing AI rules as a public safety and cost of living issue, not just a tech topic.

Source: Wired