Sanders, Bannon to speak at event calling for AI controls

Political figures across the aisle, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, are finding themselves on the same side of a growing fight over AI regulations.

Sanders and Bannon are among a handful of political leaders speaking at a Tuesday event advocating controls to keep humans in charge of AI.

The Pro-Human Assembly, hosted by the nonprofit Future of Life Institute in Washington, D.C., comes as the district scrambles to address the risks and safety concerns growing around AI.

Concerns were supercharged last week after AI researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic and claimed in a post on the social platform that researchers at the frontier labs “believe AI could kill all humans” but push forward anyway.

Coxon warned superintelligence — a hypothetical AI agent that outperforms all of humanity’s cognitive performance — could destroy all of humanity if the technology’s development does not slow down.

Sanders is one of the loudest voices on the left calling for AI regulations. He and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) called for a permanent ban on the development and deployment of superintelligence in the wake of recent hackings involving “rogue” models.

Bannon has taken a populist approach to AI, repeatedly warning about the risks of AI and data centers used to power the technology’s development.

Other speakers include Casar, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.) and New York State Assembly member Alex Bores, who ran a congressional campaign advocating for better oversight of AI model development.

While Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on how to regulate the technology, a growing number of lawmakers agree more needs to be done to ensure AI is developed safely, with the country’s labor workforce in mind.

President Trump, an ally of Bannon, is doubling down on his support for the AI and data center industry. He argued in a Monday post on Truth Social that the only protections needed are a “STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT,” claiming the government has “tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power” over AI firms already.