SANDERS AND BANNON URGE CURBS ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon called for restrictions on artificial intelligence at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington on Tuesday. Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, and Bannon, a rightwing strategist and close ally of President Donald Trump, both warned of AI's potential dangers to humanity. The two political adversaries criticised Silicon Valley's "oligarchs" and called for strict guardrails on the technology. They set out differing approaches to a "cold war" with China over AI development. Sanders said the industry needed binding safety rules to prevent AI from threatening jobs.

Sanders said AI "has the potential to eliminate tens of millions of jobs, wiping out entire professions and making it harder for young people to enter the workforce." He said a super-intelligent AI that escaped human control would be "humanity's problem," not just an American or Chinese one. Sanders compared the challenge to the nuclear arms race, citing Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, who signed a treaty eliminating an entire class of missiles after concluding nuclear war would serve neither side. One report said the gathering reflected growing public unease over AI's risks, beyond Washington and Silicon Valley.

Sanders noted that Trump is due to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington next week, and said he hoped the two leaders would negotiate a treaty pausing advanced AI development and banning super-intelligent systems. He called for international diplomacy, including with Beijing, to reach a global agreement restricting the technology. Bannon set out a different approach to the AI race with China, though neither report detailed his proposals. Sanders and Bannon's joint appearance brought together figures from opposing ends of the political spectrum around shared concerns about AI's impact on humanity.