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Sen. Bernie Sanders warned in an interview on Sunday about the rapid development of artificial intelligence, including the physical infrastructure that supports it, that American workers could be left behind by big tech companies.
The two-time presidential contender addressed the growing concerns of many progressives on CNN state of the union address.
As more U.S. companies embrace artificial intelligence in their daily lives, including in their interactions with customers, and as AI chatbots grow in popularity, the Republican-controlled Congress has spent the crucial 2025 years debating a ban on state-level AI regulation, effectively making itself the only U.S. authority with the power to limit the development or use of the technology.
President Donald Trump has renewed his call to pass the legislation in the fall, although Congress has yet to act.
Sanders warned on Sunday that Republicans were steering American workers toward a dangerous future, saying artificial intelligence stakeholders like Elon Musk and Bill Gates predicted mass job losses among American workers as jobs become “optional” and rely heavily on robots.
“This is the most important technology in the history of mankind … there has not been any serious discussion of this reality in Congress,” the Vermont senator said.
Saunders added that while tech billionaires are pouring money into AI development, they are doing so to enrich and enhance their capabilities while ignoring the obvious economic shockwaves that widespread adoption of the technology will bring.
“Elon Musk. [Mark] Zuckerberg. [Jeff] Bezos. Peter Thiel…do you think they’re going to worry about working people all night long? ” said Sanders. “What do people do when they lose their jobs? “
“If there are no jobs and ‘most things don’t require people,’ how do people get the income to support their families?” Sanders asked, quoting Gates.
His comments came on the heels of data supporting those forecasts. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study Reports released this year speculated that more than 11% of current jobs in the U.S. labor market could be replaced or eliminated by the adoption of artificial intelligence, including many human resources and logistics positions in areas such as healthcare and finance.
Similarly, in the UK, the National Foundation for Educational Research in November report In the next 10 years, as many as 3 million jobs across the country may be at risk.
Progressives like Sanders argue that countries must be free to impose their own restrictions on AI, including on content. There are many legal and political issues surrounding the use and development of the technology, including the resource costs of AI data centers, which use large amounts of electricity and have been accused by some of driving up energy costs in surrounding communities.
Some of the most heated discussions about artificial intelligence in Congress took place in November, when a House panel examined the impact of artificial intelligence chatbots on Americans, especially young children and teenagers. No federal restrictions have been put in place to limit children’s use of artificial intelligence chatbots, despite criticism of the technology A study was conducted this year This suggests that as many as one in eight US teens have turned to an AI chatbot for emotional support.
“Young people are now spending a lot of time with AI. Some kids are now getting most of their emotional support from AI. If this trend continues, what will it mean over the years when people are unable to get support and interaction from other people? [instead] From the machine? What does this mean for humanity? ” Sanders asked Sunday.
“The science fiction fear of world domination by artificial intelligence is not such an outrageous concept,” Sanders said.
Other progressives in Congress have echoed Sanders’ concerns, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a hearing on artificial intelligence chatbots in November.
“We’re talking about a huge economic bubble,” Ocasio-Cortez said in November. “Depending on how exposed the bubble is, we could see a 2008-style threat to economic stability.”
president Executive order issued in mid-December reiterated his call for Congress to ban state artificial intelligence regulation and vowed to “examine” state laws that challenge his authority or the development of artificial intelligence in any way.
“My administration must work with Congress to ensure there is one minimally burdensome national standard, rather than 50 inconsistent state standards. The resulting framework must prohibit laws that conflict with state law.” [with White House policy],” Trump’s order reads, “The framework should also ensure that children are protected from censorship, copyrights are respected, and communities are protected.” A well-designed national framework can ensure that the United States wins the race to AI, which we must do. “