US Senator Bernie Sanders underlined the importance of international cooperation in regulating AI at a Wednesday panel on Capitol Hill with two prominent Chinese scientists.
As startups and tech giants, most prominently in Silicon Valley and Beijing, race to advance and enhance their artificial intelligence, Sanders has been one of the first AI skeptics to advocate for safeguards.
During the discussion, Sanders raised concerns about potential impacts that could arise from widespread AI use, including misinformation, loss of data privacy, and social isolation among teens who rely on chatbots.
The senator from Vermont also expressed concern about the existential risks posed by automation to American society, leading to a potential increase in unemployment if companies prioritize automated labor over human workers. Researchers on the panel also presented the possibility of super-intelligent systems operating outside the bounds of their designers’ instructions.
“The richest, most powerful people in the world are now creating a runaway train with no brakes. They admit they don’t understand how it works, and they don’t know where it’s going,” said Sanders, who suggested a disastrous future if safeguards are not implemented.
Sanders, an independent candidate who sides with the Democrats, called for an international treaty similar to the Cold-War era nuclear accord.
“We need to cooperate. We need to dialogue,” he said.
The optics of a program with Chinese academics – Xue Lan of Tsinghua University and Zeng Yi of the Beijing Institute of AI Safety and Governance – drew backlash from some conservatives who did not dispute the need for regulation, but who questioned the credibility of the Chinese government.
“Senator Sanders’ concerns about AI are exaggerated, but I respect them. We must ask questions about child safety, community impact, and economic displacement,” Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the conservative think tank Hudson Institute, wrote in a Monday X. Post. “We should not partner with foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party in those discussions.”
in the second x Post On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant promoted an America-first agenda.
“The United States is home to the most talented AI researchers in the world,” he wrote. “The real threat to AI safety is letting any country other than the United States set global standards.”
Addressing the geopolitical situation, Lan said on Wednesday: “It is unimaginable to think of a world in which only a few countries and a few companies have the most powerful equipment but the rest of the world is poor with nothing.”
He said: “The US and China have a common interest in working together to bridge the AI divide.
Sanders has previously raised concerns about the spread of AI.
In March, Sanders and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced a Bill If passed, new construction of AI datacenters would halt.
“AI and robotics are creating the most sweeping technological revolution in the history of humanity. The scale, scope, and speed of that change is unprecedented. Congress is far behind where it should be in understanding the nature of this revolution and its impacts,” Sanders said in a statement.
