Bernie Sanders Rips AI 'Good Intentions'

The Stanford event, titled "Who Controls the Future of AI: The Oligarchs or The People?," featured not only Senator Bernie Sanders but also Representative Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley. Sanders warned the crowd of 1,200 that a handful of tech multibillionaires are investing in AI to exponentially increase their own wealth and power. Khanna echoed these concerns, outlining seven principles for a "Democratic AI" to prevent an "oligarchic capture" of the technology. His proposals include requiring human oversight in critical applications, ensuring workers share in productivity gains through higher wages or shorter work weeks, and fixing the tax code which he argues has an "anti-human bias" by incentivizing automation over hiring employees. Sanders' critique is part of a broader push by progressives for new regulations. One such proposal is the "No Robot Bosses Act," introduced by Senator Bob Casey, which would ban employers from relying solely on automated systems for significant employment decisions like hiring and firing and would require human oversight. Economic data highlights the concerns over wealth concentration; one study showed that from 2006 to 2021, the wealth share of the top 1% of U.S. households rose from 32% to 37%, while the bottom 50% saw their share decrease. During that same period, the median income for the bottom 50% of earners grew by only 3%, compared to a 25% increase for the top 10%. Forecasts on job displacement vary, with one World Economic Forum report projecting AI will displace 75 million jobs globally by 2025 but create 133 million new ones. However, a report from Sanders' own office warns that AI and automation could eliminate nearly 100 million jobs in the U.S. alone over the next decade. To counter these trends, Sanders has proposed ideas like a "robot tax" on large corporations to fund support for displaced workers and a moratorium on the construction of new AI data centers to "slow this thing down." This reflects a growing concern among some lawmakers that the rapid, unregulated deployment of AI primarily serves to enrich a small elite. Meanwhile, the tech industry has significantly increased its efforts to shape policy, with the number of organizations lobbying on AI issues jumping by 190% in one year. Tech-aligned groups have also formed Super PACs, with one, "Leading the Future," backed by $100 million from investors like Marc Andreessen and OpenAI's Greg Brockman to oppose stricter AI regulations.