Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon Unite on Raising Alarm Bells Over AI Risks
Sanders and Bannon united in Washington to warn AI’s rapid rise threatens jobs, safety and national security.
On Tuesday, progressive Senator Bernie Sanders and conservative strategist Steve Bannon joined forces at a Washington gathering to sound the alarm over the risks associated with artificial intelligence. The bipartisan coalition comes as fears surrounding AI's rapid development grow among government, industry, and the public. Sanders, a democratic socialist, warned that unchecked AI development could lead to the elimination of tens of millions of jobs and potential catastrophic consequences due to the technology escaping human control.
Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, called AI "the defining issue of our time" and urged the country to slow down as the technology outpaces human oversight. Their shared stance at the Pro-Human Assembly, a Future of Life Institute event, signaled the collapse of traditional partisan boundaries as concerns over AI safety and data center expansion gained traction across the political spectrum.
Sanders and Bannon appeared alongside union leaders, researchers, and celebrities united by mounting alarm over AI's trajectory, with the event taking place just days after a warning from former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon that AI could "kill us all by the end of the decade." Sanders accused tech executives of centralizing power and pushing AI systems that could destabilize labor markets and national security, urging President Trump to negotiate a pause in AI development with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Bannon, who previously dismissed AI warnings as a "HOAX," insisted that the U.S. must impose new guardrails, demanding Congress take immediate action and even suggesting cutting China off from American-made chips. The convergence of Sanders and Bannon highlights how AI has become a rare issue that brings together far-left and far-right figures.
Public concern over AI's potential to eliminate jobs, raise costs, and cause broader social harm has surged, with polls showing that a majority of Americans fear AI will have negative impacts. The Pro-Human Assembly showcased how these anxieties are reshaping political coalitions, with attendees including union leaders, researchers, and lawmakers who acknowledged the need for Congress to craft effective AI regulations, despite Trump's reluctance to support new legislation.
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