[10/31 18:00] Voters in 10 states face 41 data center ballot measures in the midterms / U.S. unions split over AI and data centers

AI News Flash for October 31, 2026 at 18:00 UTC.

Topics: 1. Voters in 10 states face 41 data center ballot measures in the midterms https://www.axios.com/2026/10/31/ai-booms-political-reckoning 2. U.S. unions split over AI and data centers https://www.axios.com/2026/10/31/unions-ai-big-labor-data-centers 3. DARPA funds E-CALC to estimate AI energy use at every stage https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/DARPA-Backs-Project-to-Measure-AI-Energy-Use-at-Every-Stage-of-the-Workflow.html 4. Developer compiles a CPU into the weights of a Qwen model https://fourweekmba.com/ai-karpathys-tiny-llm-runs-in-qwens-weights-46x-fewer-steps/ 5. Search and rescue teams warn about AI-planned backcountry trips https://wyofile.com/ai-gets-people-into-trouble-in-the-backcountry/