Northwest Arkansas candidates tackle AI, affordability in US House debate

Candidates seeking to represent the state’s 3rd Congressional District generally agreed on the need to regulate artificial intelligence during an Arkansas TV debate Wednesday, but split on the use of the technology for warfare. 

Democrat Robb Ryerse and Libertarian Bobby Wilson are challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Womack as he runs for a ninth term in Congress. 

All three candidates agreed AI can be a useful tool and that lawmakers can help protect people from the negative consequences of the rapidly evolving technology. 

Womack, an Army veteran who was first elected to Congress in 2010, said “AI is here to stay” and it’s important to have guardrails for the technology and the data centers that power them. 

“But I think we got to be careful that we don’t go too far to where we cede a lot of that technology to adversaries that have nefarious intentions for our country,” he said.

Concerns that rapidly developing AI models could hurt humanity have prompted calls for more federal guardrails, though President Donald Trump has pushed back against slowing its development. Data centers needed to power the technology have also faced bipartisan pushback, with several Arkansas communities enacting new restrictions on them.

Ryerse, a pastor of a nondenominational church, said he’s pro-technology, but history has shown how quickly advancing tech can have environmental and human consequences. 

“There needs to be a moratorium on data centers until data centers are energy independent, they don’t pollute the environment and they aren’t a nuisance to the neighborhoods that they are put in,” he said. 

Wilson, chief operations officer of a trim and door company, said the United States needs to be first in developing AI technology. Congress could play a role by addressing privacy concerns, he said.

Wilson also said data centers should meet standards for things like sound or zoning, but didn’t specify if the standards should be set at the federal level.

“We do have a lot of abuses going on with data centers, and so there needs to be some type of standardization to make sure that localities are protected,” he said. 

Advancing technology is being used by companies in the 3rd District to produce equipment used in conflicts. Swarm Aero, a California-based company that manufactures large unmanned drones, opened in Fayetteville this year, despite pushback from local residents. The company secured more than $10 million in contracts with the Air Force Research Laboratory. 

Womack praised the company for creating jobs and saving lives in combat through its unmanned drones. 

“We are participating in this idea of provide for the common defense with these kinds of advancements in Arkansas’ 3rd District, and I’m proud of that,” he said.

Ryerse expressed concern about the proliferation of war and Arkansas becoming an international target because Womack has “bent the knee to the military industrial complex.” 

Arkansas is home to several defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, L3Harris and Raytheon.

“I think Arkansas ought to be leading the way in making the world a better place, not making it more dangerous,” Ryerse said. 

Wilson said he opposes all military interventions, and that technology could be used to make life better for people. 

“I think drones are a massive win for society, whether it comes from making sure that we don’t have forest fires or getting medical help to people that are outside of any type of areas,” he said. “And it’s kind of sad to see that we’ve decided to put our focus on using it to bomb other people or sell it to bomb other people.”  

The Iran war has increased the cost of gas and other goods for Arkansans, as has the president’s “chaotic tariff war,” Ryerse said.

Northwest Arkansas candidates consider Iran war, immigration in US House race

“Congress has not acted like it should, and you are the ones paying the price,” he said.

Wilson said everything costs so much because the country is running “massive deficits.”  When there’s a deficit, it’s made up through inflation, so everything costs more because Congress can’t pass a budget, he said.

“They just do reconciliation bill after reconciliation bill,” Wilson said. “And if you want to get costs down, the government just needs to quit spending and get the budget in order.”

Congress approved a short-term funding bill last month to keep the government funded through Dec. 11. 

Womack, who has been critical of Congress’ budgeting process, voted for last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax and spending cut legislation, which he said saved people “a massive tax hike” by making 2017 tax cuts permanent. He said lawmakers also took action to save on taxes for tips, overtime and certain Social Security recipients. 

The bill is expected to reduce federal spending on Medicaid by about $1 trillion during the next decade to help pay for tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthy. 

Womack acknowledged the high price of gas and homes, and said the country could do a better job if “we can unleash the potential of the American energy supply system.”

“Build more refineries and then be able to handle energy in a much more cost-effective way right here at home,” he said.