Sen. John N. Kennedy on Sunday railed against artificial intelligence developers, calling them "high IQ stupid people," and said the industry has work to do to rebuild momentum among voters.
"The people who have developed AI are very, very smart, but they're high IQ, stupid people," Kennedy said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "They're terrible marketers."
The Louisiana Republican's comments come as both parties grapple with backlash against data centers — an issue that is becoming increasingly top of mind for voters with the November midterms approaching.
Kennedy also criticized the appearance of data centers, and urged the AI industry to "devise buildings that are slightly aesthetic."
"I mean, the buildings they build now — they look like a broken arm with the bones sticking out," Kennedy told host Kristen Welker.
Along with changing the infrastructure of the centers, Kennedy outlined several other steps he believes could help the industry regain public support: building a closed-loop system to address water usage concerns, providing their own energy, stopping demands for tax subsidies and "talk straight up" to Americans "about what AI means."
"American people look at it; they're not stupid. They get it. They think, well, AI could make our lives better if it doesn't take our jobs and kill us all first," Kennedy said.
"And these high-IQ stupid people have done a lousy job of explaining all that," he added.
Kennedy's warnings extended beyond AI to the affordability concerns confronting Republicans ahead of the midterms.
"The economy is solid, but inflation sucks," Kennedy said, adding that people are worried about the cost of living. "They're also not especially happy about the war in Iran," he noted.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously suggested gasoline could fall below $3 per gallon by Labor Day. But the national average stood at $4.15 heading into the holiday.
Kennedy said Congress still has time to address inflation through another reconciliation bill, though he acknowledged that such action was "not likely" given lawmakers' record over the past several months.
"These prices are gutting the middle class like a fish," he said.