Progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon, a close ally of President Donald Trump, called for restrictions on AI systems on Tuesday. The two spoke at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington. The event was presented by the Future of Life Institute and brought together lawmakers, labor leaders, religious representatives and AI safety advocates.
Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, noted that Trump is due to host Chinese president Xi Jinping in Washington next week. He addressed an audience gathered in the ballroom of a Washington hotel and said a super-intelligent AI that escapes human control would not be an American problem or a Chinese one. Sanders compared the issue to nuclear war and said that both the Soviet Union and the United States recognized the danger and came together for a nuclear treaty. Sanders called on Trump to seek an agreement with Xi to pause advanced AI development and ban the development of artificial superintelligence.
Bannon, who has long praised Trump as a historic figure, argued that the US must first stand up to the Chinese Communist party before it can consider proper regulation of AI technology, according to The Guardian. He questioned whether the United States had trained Soviet scientists or brought Soviet students to American universities during the Cold War. Bannon said that the US should cut off China's access to American chips, research and capital in a similar way to how it once dealt with the Soviet Union. Bannon also called for executive action because he said Congress would move too slowly.
He accused Silicon Valley of socializing all the risk with American people while keeping all financial gains for itself. Sanders criticized Congress for failing to act on AI development and said Trump's understanding of the issue was "truly embarrassing."
He also pointed out that recent surveys have found majorities of Americans worry that AI could eliminate jobs or cause social harm. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published in June found that 77% of Americans worried AI-driven data centers would increase electricity costs. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in June found that 71% of U.S. adults believed AI would lead to fewer jobs over the next 20 years.
Both Sanders and Bannon called for stronger AI oversight but proposed different approaches, according to a report from the South China Morning Post. Bannon said Congress should not prevent states from enforcing their own AI rules. Bannon has previously endorsed Trump's false claim that the 2020 election was stolen and served as Trump's White House chief strategist during his first term.
Sanders, on the other hand, criticized the concentration of power in Silicon Valley and the lack of oversight from Congress. Sanders said he plans to introduce legislation with Rep. Greg Casar that would permanently ban the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence. The proposal would also temporarily pause advanced AI development until a federal regulator establishes safety rules. It would direct the United States to seek international agreements aimed at preventing superintelligence from being developed elsewhere.
Trump said Monday that the United States already has guardrails in place to address the misuse of AI. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that AI companies should be able to regulate themselves and warned that a moratorium could weaken the U.S. position against China.