During an August 11 interview at Politico’s The California Agenda Sacramento Summit, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton blamed Sam Altman and Dario Amodei for making America fear AI, calling the two founders "a disaster for the reputation of the industry." Hilton said their years of warnings about artificial intelligence's economic impact created public backlash now shaping local fights over where the technology gets built, adding, "It's because you told them to fear what you're building." He described data center resistance as "a tangible proxy for a generalized concern about AI" and said California's hostility to construction is pushing projects to Texas and Ohio, costing the state manufacturing jobs. Hilton argued AI-driven automation will enable reshoring but that California will miss out without a change in approach. On regulation, he said, "I think we're in danger of both over and under regulating at the same time," naming children's safety and AI, creativity, and copyright as areas of strong views. He agreed that he talked less about breaking up large technology companies since becoming a candidate, and said his priority as governor would be reducing regulatory and litigation pressure on business generally, identifying entertainment and agriculture as the two industries he would prioritize. Hilton faces Democrat Xavier Becerra in November.