The chairman of the North Dakota Legislative Management Committee has formed a new interim committee to look specifically at artificial intelligence and data centers.
Sen. David Hogue (R-Minot) is the majority leader of the state Senate. He said the committee will meet a number of times before the 2027 Legislative session.
Hogue said the panel is out to learn what it can about AI and data centers.
"The rate of transformation and the rate of impact upon everything from education, medical care, how we fight wars — it's happening so fast," Hogue told reporters. "North Dakota needs to inform itself as to how this technology is being governed, how it is being regulated, and how the data center piece is being incentivized."
Rep. Jonathan Warrey (R-Casselton) will chair the committee. The others include Rep. Mike Nathe (R-Bismarck), Rep. Anna Novak (R-Hazen), Rep. Todd Porter (R-Mandan) Rep. Mary Schneider (D-Fargo) Sen. Kyle Davison (R-Fargo), Sen. Jose Castaneda (R-Minot), Sen. Janne Myrdal (R-Edinburg) Sen. Dean Rummel (R-Dickinson), Sen. Mike Wobbema (R-Valley City) and lay members Tony Clark, Mark Hagerott and John Bjornson. Clark is a former North Dakota Public Service Commission, who also chaired the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and now is executive director of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. Hagerott is a former Chancellor of the North Dakota University System. Bjornson is the director of the North Dakota Legislative Council.
