Senator Bernie Sanders Issues Warning on AI’s Existential Threat

Key Takeaways:

Bernie Sanders warns humanity might lose control of AI, bringing dire consequences. Backing 1,000 experts, Elon Musk warned of AI tech risks; next, Sanders seeks a data center freeze. Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced a bill to implement a moratorium on AI data centers.

Bernie Sanders Alerts About Skynet-Like Future With ‘Cataclysmic Consequences’

While some industry figureheads ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) will usher in a new era of super productivity and abundance, others worry about the uncontrolled evolution of the tech.

Bernie Sanders, Senator from Vermont, has warned about a future where AI agents become smarter than human beings and evade the guardrails designed to protect the human race.

On social media, Sanders highlighted that even as scientists like Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called “Godfather of AI,” and Yoshua Bengio acknowledge the possibility of AI turning against the human race, nothing has been done to avoid this.

He referred to the “Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter” document, signed by over 1,000 scientists, including Elon Musk, that called for a moratorium on the training of powerful AI systems in 2023 due to the risk of losing control of the civilization to these models.

“Has there been a pause on AI development? No. Has there been any international treaty to regulate AI? No. Has there been serious discussion in Congress about this existential threat? No,” Sanders criticized.

“The development of artificial intelligence may be the most consequential technological development in human history. We must make certain that Al benefits humanity, not hurts us,” he concluded.

Sanders is taking action to ensure such a moratorium happens by introducing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act into Congress with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The legislation proposes a moratorium on these data centers to “ensure the safety of humanity.”

This is not the first time he has raised concerns about the pernicious effects of AI on the lives of American citizens. Sanders has said that AI could replace up to 97 million jobs in 10 years, and that companies are already using AI to slash payrolls.