Bannon and Sanders Unite Against Tech Oligarchs at AI Assembly

9:04 AM ETDeveloping

Technology Desk

In Short: Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon, former political adversaries, joined forces at the 'Pro-Human Assembly' to criticize the AI industry and call for stricter regulations.

Left-wing socialist Bernie Sanders and MAGA strategist Steve Bannon took to the same stage on Tuesday to rail against the AI industry and its leadership, in a sign of how spiraling worries over the rapidly advancing technology are upending political alliances. Despite their different backgrounds, both speakers emphasized the need for curbs on AI development, warning of the potential risks it poses to humanity.

Speaking to nearly 300 people packed into a Washington, D.C., ballroom, Sanders raised concerns about AI surpassing human intelligence and escaping human control. 'Despite living in a so-called democracy, the public has had virtually no input into the AI revolution that's transforming the world,' he said. Bannon, on the other hand, focused on denouncing the Chinese Communist Party, calling any possible agreement with them futile. 'The American citizens are not going to be supplicants to the oligarchs anymore,' he said, echoing Sanders' sentiment.

Both speakers agreed that the American people should make decisions about AI, rather than a handful of tech oligarchs. 'If the lives of every man, woman, and child are going to be fundamentally changed by this technology, then the people of this country must make the decisions about AI, and not just a handful of oligarchs,' Sanders said. Bannon sounded pretty much exactly the same, adding, 'That’s not going to happen.

During the event, which was part of the 'Pro-Human Assembly,' both speakers expressed their concerns about the potential dangers of AI. Sanders suggested that President Trump's ignorance regarding the issue is 'truly embarrassing' and that the president is not taking the technology's risks seriously enough. Bannon, meanwhile, called for a complete shutdown of the Chinese Communist Party, stating, 'We have to shut down the Chinese Communist Party … put a quarantine around it. If we do that, and we can do it, and it’s insanity, insanity to me, why we just keep going on with the Chinese. The Chinese, to hell with the Chinese Communist Party. It is up to no good.

Despite their shared concerns, the two speakers showed little sign of agreement over how the technology should be regulated. 'Obviously, he and I have a quite different opinion of the president of the United States,' Bannon told the crowd. 'We have to shut down the Chinese Communist Party … put a quarantine around it. If we do that, and we can do it, and it’s insanity, insanity to me, why we just keep going on with the Chinese. The Chinese, to hell with the Chinese Communist Party. It is up to no good. We know that they steal everything to get their hands on. We can shut it down in 72 hours,' he argued.

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Sources

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