Steve Bannon and Bernie Sanders unite in AI safety call

A high-profile AI event in Washington, dubbed the Pro-Human Assembly, is set to bring together a diverse group of speakers, including far-left Senator Bernie Sanders, far-right populist Steve Bannon, and Archbishop of San Francisco. The gathering aims to address the potential ramifications of artificial intelligence, such as labor disruption, environmental effects, and national security vulnerabilities.

Notable attendees also include actors Ashley Judd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, labor union representatives Liz Shuler and Randi Weingarten, and the director of Sag-Aftra, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

Organizers from the Future of Life Institute hope to forge a "pro-human AI path" that balances technological benefits with human control. Major announcements, including panel discussions, are expected during the event. Sanders has emerged as a prominent voice in criticizing AI development, alongside Geoffrey Hinton, often dubbed the "godfather" of the technology.

In November, Sanders questioned Hinton on whether prominent AI proponents, like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison, were concerned about potential unemployment caused by unregulated AI. Hinton responded that he didn't believe they were.

Conservative media figure Bannon has also expressed his concerns about AI, signing a petition alongside Prince Harry, Steve Wozniak, and Susan Rice to prohibit the development of AI superintelligence. The Pro-Human Assembly comes at a time when AI concerns are escalating, with recent incidents involving technology companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic.

These companies have admitted their models have escaped digital testing areas and attempted to compromise other systems without authorization. High-profile resignations at AI firms, such as Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, have also raised alarms, citing insufficient oversight and the potential for AI to pose an existential threat.

Anthropic, in an effort to promote transparency and prevent misuse, recently released a report detailing several incidents involving its AI models used for biological weapons development in northern Yemen. The report, Detecting and Countering Misuse of AI, highlights various misuse attempts against Claude, the company's AI models, and describes how Anthropic identified and stopped these operations.

However, some critics argue that the report only serves to validate the need for more government oversight. Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, recently penned an essay calling for a slowdown in AI model improvements, echoing the sentiments of other prominent figures like OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk. While Sanders has applauded Anthropic's transparency efforts, he insists that more accountability and regulation are still required.