Axios reports that Democratic presidential hopefuls are grappling with a rising backlash over artificial intelligence, but none have endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders' proposal to halt AI development.

Axios asked roughly 20 potential 2028 contenders whether they backed Sanders' call for AI company leaders to stop work on machines humans cannot control, and only one responded directly.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel criticized the idea as a pause without a plan.

About half of the potential candidates did not respond, including Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg.

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Representative Ro Khanna are the only potential 2028 contenders Axios identified as backing a pause on AI data centers.

Several other Democrats have moved to signal a tougher stance on the issue.

The Axios article cites a Fox News poll showing 70% of voters oppose building an AI data center in their community, and it notes that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last week the company has temporarily paused some training.