At the Future of Life Institute's Pro-Human Assembly, Bernie Sanders, Steve Bannon, and others called for tighter restrictions on AI and denounced tech CEOs (New York Times)
At an event in Washington, partisanship took a back seat as elected officials, religious leaders, parents and artists called for reining in artificial intelligence.
The Future of Life Institute's Pro-Human Assembly in Washington brought together politicians, technology experts, economists, and academics to push for stronger AI regulation. US Senator Bernie Sanders warned that the artificial intelligence boom could lead to job disruptions and unprecedented surveillance, eclipsing any benefits. He called AI "the most transformational technology in humanity's history" and lamented that the US Congress has not yet passed any meaningful AI-related regulatory legislation.
Sanders announced plans to introduce legislation to ban the development of AI super-intelligence that might slip out of human control, saying it will pause development until clear safety rules are in place developed by the most knowledgeable scientists in the country. According to The National UAE and The National Business, he also criticised US President Donald Trump's dismissal of AI warnings as a "hoax" and "sick conspiracy", calling the President's ignorance on this issue "embarrassing".
The event, which included Steve Bannon and other notable figures, aimed to raise concerns about the potential dangers of AI and demand stringent guardrails against Silicon Valley's "oligarchs". Sanders and Bannon, despite their ideological differences, united in warning of the potential risks of AI. Sanders proposed a global agreement, including with Beijing, to ban the development of super-intelligent machines, while Bannon offered a competing vision for the AI "cold war" with China, according to The Guardian US.
Brief written by urgent.news from Techmeme, The National UAE, The National Business, The Guardian US, Guardian Technology — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
