Bernie Sanders has launched a blistering attack on Silicon Valley’s “oligarchs,” accusing them of behaving like 19th-century monarchs who believe they have a “divine right to rule” as they reshape humanity without oversight.
The Vermont Senator warned that artificial intelligence could replace nearly 100 million US jobs over the next decade and create a surveillance state where privacy is non-existent, reports Senator Bernie Sanders.
In a video statement released today, Sanders argued that a “handful of the very wealthiest people on Earth” — specifically naming Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Peter Thiel — are unilaterally determining the future of the human race.
“Are we going back to the 19th century where you had in those days kings and monarchs saying God gave them the right to rule?” asked Sanders. “Is that what these guys are saying today?”
He highlighted the extreme rhetoric used by some tech leaders to resist regulation, noting that billionaire investor Peter Thiel recently called those seeking AI oversight “legionnaires of the Antichrist”.
Sanders also pointed to a prediction by Larry Ellison, the world’s second-richest person, of an AI-powered surveillance state where “citizens will be on their best behaviour because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on”.
“If that is the case, how do we sustain a democracy under those conditions?” asked Sanders.
A report released by Sanders’ office forecasts catastrophic disruption for the American workforce. The Senator stated that AI automation and robotics could replace nearly 100 million jobs over the next ten years.
“If AI and robotics eliminate millions of jobs and create massive unemployment, how will people survive if they have no income?” asked Sanders.
Human impact
Beyond economics, Sanders raised alarm about the technology’s impact on human connection, citing a Common Sense Media poll which found that 72 per cent of US teenagers have used AI for companionship.
“What is the long-term impact upon our humanity when our most important relationships are not with other human beings?” he asked.
He also highlighted the environmental toll of the AI boom, noting that a single facility — the $165 billion data centre being built by OpenAI and Oracle in Abilene, Texas — will consume as much electricity as 750,000 homes.
Sanders concluded by referencing the “existential threat” of losing control to machines, recalling the rogue computer HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
“In my view, Congress must act now,” he said. “Maybe the people on top, the billionaires who control the technology, want us to ignore it, but for the future of our world, our kids, the environment, etc, this is an issue that cannot be ignored.”
