Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon call for curbs on AI at ‘pro-human’ summit

Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders and conservative strategist Steve Bannon held opposing views on artificial intelligence (AI) at the "Pro-Human Assembly" in Washington on Tuesday. Both condemned tech oligarchs and warned of potential dangers from AI, but their proposed solutions differed significantly.

Sanders, a Vermont independent, urged international cooperation and a global treaty to ban the creation of super-intelligent machines, likening the situation to the Cold War era where the U.S. and Soviet Union avoided nuclear war by agreeing on a treaty. He proposed Sanders would introduce legislation to permanently ban the development of artificial super-intelligence and impose an immediate pause on advanced AI development until safety rules were implemented.

On the other hand, Bannon advocated for a "quarantine" of China, calling for the expulsion of Chinese nationals from US research labs, the cessation of Chinese engineers' training, and severing capital flows. He demanded immediate executive action to isolate Beijing's tech sector, accusing Silicon Valley of gambling with public safety for private profit. He did not propose any specific regulatory measures for the US AI sector, only emphasizing the need for executive measures before considering legislation.