Senator Bernie Sanders has issued a stark warning about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, citing some of the world's most prominent AI researchers. In a lengthy statement posted on X this week, Sanders argued that the risks posed by AI extend far beyond job losses or privacy concerns, touching on the possibility that AI could one day surpass human intelligence and operate entirely beyond human control.
Sanders Quotes Leading AI Scientists
Sanders quoted Yoshua Bengio, widely regarded as the most-cited living scientist in the world, who has described the AI race as 'playing with fire' and noted that researchers still do not know how to ensure machines will not turn against humanity. He also cited Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel Prize-winning 'godfather of AI,' who has estimated a 10 to 20 percent chance that AI could wipe out humanity.
'Those aren't fringe voices,' Sanders emphasized, expressing frustration that Washington has largely remained silent on the issue. He pointed to the 2023 open letter signed by over 1,000 AI experts, including Elon Musk, which questioned whether humanity should 'automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones' or 'develop nonhuman minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart, obsolete and replace us.'
Lack of Action from Congress
Three years later, Sanders noted, there has been no pause on AI development, no international AI treaty, and no serious congressional debate on the existential threat. 'Has there been serious discussion in Congress about this existential threat? No,' he wrote.
His concerns extend beyond worst-case scenarios. Sanders has spent months raising alarms about AI's immediate impacts, including 54,000 U.S. layoffs attributed to AI in 2024 alone, its documented effects on children's emotional and cognitive well-being, and the erosion of digital privacy. 'These aren't hypotheticals. They're already happening,' he stated.
International Cooperation and Legislative Push
To move the conversation forward, Sanders announced he would host a discussion at the U.S. Capitol with leading AI researchers from both the United States and China, emphasizing international cooperation amidst geopolitical rivalry. The event was open to the public via livestream on his social media.
His broader legislative push includes a Senate bill, co-introduced with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, calling for an immediate moratorium on new AI datacenter construction until strong federal safeguards are in place. This proposal has rapidly evolved from a fringe idea to a mainstream policy debate.
Full Statement from Bernie Sanders
'Nearly every day, a new headline comes out about how AI is upending the world—from displacing workers, to negatively impacting our children's emotional and cognitive well-being, to eviscerating our privacy, to threatening the integrity of our political institutions. And yet, as significant as these changes might seem, there is another AI development that could have an even more frightening impact. Increasingly, AI scientists are concerned about the possibility that, if AI becomes smarter than human beings, we could lose control over this revolutionary technology and AI could turn against the human race with cataclysmic consequences.'
Sanders concluded: 'The development of artificial intelligence may be the most consequential technological development in human history. We must make certain that AI benefits humanity, not hurts us.'
