Sanders and Bannon warn of AI risks but split on China approach

Progressive U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon delivered rare bipartisan warnings about the existential risks of artificial intelligence on Tuesday, September 15, while sharply disagreeing on how to address the threat from China. The two political adversaries spoke back-to-back at the "Pro-Human Assembly" conference in Washington, organized by the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit focused on reducing risks from powerful technologies. Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, announced plans to introduce legislation to permanently ban the development of artificial superintelligence, which he defined as AI systems more capable than any human and operating beyond human control. He compared the risk to nuclear weapons and called for binding international safety rules rather than voluntary industry standards. "Like nuclear weapons, artificial superintelligence is a threat to humanity, and it must be treated as such," Sanders said.