OpenAI pledges local agreements for data centers after election rebuke

OpenAI announced Thursday it will change how it engages communities hosting its data centers, pledging local agreements and annual public reports, following Tuesday's midterm elections where voters backed measures to limit AI construction. The National Community Compact applies only to OpenAI-owned sites, committing the company to pay full electricity costs and grid upgrades, post financial guarantees against project cancellations, and publish water and power usage. It also voids nondisclosure agreements for public officials, except for narrow security exceptions, and includes $120 million in local investments for Georgia and Ohio sites. The policy shift follows Democratic gubernatorial wins in Texas, Georgia, and Ohio on platforms pausing data center permits, and comes as OpenAI courts President Trump, whose administration has dismissed local resistance. The company's blueprint also urges lawmakers to mandate similar industry-wide rules and restore clean-electricity tax credits.