US Senator Bernie Sanders has called for international cooperation to regulate artificial intelligence, warning that the technology is a 'runaway train with no brakes.' Speaking at a Capitol Hill panel on Wednesday alongside two leading Chinese scientists, Sanders emphasized the need for safeguards to prevent societal harm.
Concerns Over AI's Impact
Sanders raised concerns about misinformation, loss of data privacy, and social isolation among adolescents dependent on chatbots. He also warned of existential risks from automation, including a surge in unemployment if companies favor automated labor over human workers. The panel discussed the possibility of super-intelligent systems operating beyond human control.
Call for an International Treaty
Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, proposed an international treaty similar to Cold War-era nuclear pacts. 'The richest, most powerful people in the world are now building a runaway train with no brakes. They acknowledge that they don't understand how it works, and they don't know where it's headed,' he said. 'We need to cooperate. We need dialogue.'
Backlash from Conservatives
The event featuring Chinese academics Xue Lan of Tsinghua University and Zeng Yi of the Beijing Institute of AI Safety and Governance drew criticism from some conservatives. Michael Sobolik of the Hudson Institute wrote on X that while Sanders' concerns are overstated, the US should not partner with 'foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.' US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also touted an America-first agenda, stating that the US should set the global standard for AI safety.
Bridging the AI Divide
Xue Lan countered, 'It is unimaginable to think of a world that only few countries and few companies have the most powerful tool but the rest of the world is impoverished with nothing.' He added that the US and China share a common interest in bridging the AI divide.
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Sanders has previously raised alarm about AI proliferation. In March, he and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a bill to halt new AI datacenter construction, citing the unprecedented scale and speed of the technological revolution.
