Sen. Bernie Sanders decried Washington on Tuesday for failing to regulate artificial intelligence, including the advanced models that AI researchers, tech executives and safety advocates warn pose an existential risk to humanity.
“Congress under both Democratic and Republican control has been asleep at the wheel,” the Vermont independent said at the Pro-Human Assembly in D.C. “And we now have a president whose ignorance regarding this issue is truly embarrassing.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly brushed aside concerns of catastrophic risks from AI, saying the U.S. should instead focus on maintaining its competitive edge over China. On Monday, he blasted calls for additional AI guardrails in a series of posts on Truth Social, where he repeatedly called these worries a “HOAX.”
People throughout the industry have spent years warning that the risks are real, pushing to slow development of the technology so that safeguards can catch up. Tech CEOs escalated those slowdown calls last weekend, days after an Anthropic researcher captured worldwide attention with a resignation statement that accused the top developers of “gambling with our lives.”
Pressure is growing on Congress to pass AI legislation, with Democrats and Republicans alike rallying around the issue. But House Speaker Mike Johnson seems unlikely to move AI legislation ahead of the November midterm elections, and instead appears focused on setting up a meeting between the White House and AI executives.
Sanders also called on Trump to negotiate a comprehensive treaty with Chinese President Xi Jinping that would halt advanced AI development and ban so-called superintelligence, the point where AI’s capabilities surpass humans’ ability to counter them. Sanders said he is preparing to introduce a bill with Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) next week that would do the same.
The powerful technology is expected to be discussed when Trump and Xi meet Sept. 24. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who manages the administration’s AI relationship with China, plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart this weekend.
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