Bernie Sanders, Steve Bannon find rare common ground in warning over AI risks

Senator Bernie Sanders and former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon delivered a rare shared warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence on Tuesday, with the ideological opposites accusing powerful technology companies of moving too quickly and calling for greater human control over AI.

Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, and Bannon spoke back-to-back at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, organised by the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit focused on reducing existential risks from powerful technologies. The event brought together voices from across the political spectrum to push for a more human-centred approach to AI.

Also Read: New warnings about the risks of AI to humanity revive a long-running debate


The two did not share the stage, but their appearances highlighted an unusual area of convergence in a deeply polarised Washington: concern over the pace of AI development and the concentration of power in the hands of a small number of technology companies.

The warnings come as concern over the safety of advanced AI has intensified. Recent incidents involving autonomous AI agents, along with calls from some AI researchers and industry leaders for greater safeguards, have fuelled a broader debate over whether development is moving faster than systems to control the technology.

Sanders said decisions about AI should not be left to wealthy technology executives, naming Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos among those with significant influence over its development.

"The people of this country must make the decisions about AI, and not just a handful of oligarchs," Sanders said.

Sanders has said he plans to introduce legislation with Democratic Rep. Greg Casar that would permanently ban the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence — systems that could surpass human capabilities — while temporarily pausing advanced AI development until safety rules are established.

"Like nuclear weapons, artificial superintelligence is a threat to humanity, and it must be treated as such," Sanders said.

Bannon attacks AI industry

Bannon, who served as a White House strategist during Trump's first term, also turned his criticism on the technology industry's executives, questioning their credibility when they call for caution over AI.

Also Read: As world debates risks of AI, China closes technology gap with US

"We can never trust what an oligarch says because all they do -- they're disingenuous and they lie," Bannon said.

He argued that AI companies lacked a viable business model and could ultimately seek government support while retaining the financial gains from the technology.

Bannon also mocked the argument that slowing AI development would undermine US competitiveness against China.

"If you're not an accelerationist, you're anti-American...you're pro-Chinese Communist Party," Bannon said.

He described the issue as a moment when political differences needed to be put aside, pointing to his unexpected alignment with Sanders.

"I don't think you could find any two harder partisans than Bernie Sanders on the left and [me] on the right," Bannon said. "We have to rise above it. This is a hinge in history."

While Sanders and Bannon broadly agreed that AI development requires greater safeguards, their wider approaches to the technology and US-China competition differ. The event nevertheless illustrated how concerns over AI are creating unusual political alliances in Washington.

President Trump has taken a more permissive position on AI development, dismissing some warnings about the technology as a "hoax" and pushing back against calls for tighter oversight.