Senator Bernie Sanders has issued an ultimatum to the chief executives of leading artificial intelligence companies, demanding they pause development of the technology "in the interest of humanity" or face legislative action.
In a letter addressed to Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, the independent senator from Vermont asserted that it is not too late to avert a crisis if the companies cease their work on AI. "Stop building machines that humans cannot control," Sanders wrote, adding, "If you do not take appropriate action now, my colleagues and I in the U.S. Senate will."
Sanders, who has long expressed skepticism about AI, pointed to past statements from these companies acknowledging the potential risks if their systems become unmanageable. He noted recent incidents where AI models reportedly behaved erratically. "At a moment when we have seen human loss of control and the creation of potentially dangerous viruses," Sanders stated, "your companies are still racing ahead — investing tens of billions of dollars into a technology that nobody can fully understand, predict or control."
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Earlier this year, Sanders advocated for international cooperation, including with China, to manage the rapid advancement of AI, which critics warn could pose national security threats and empower adversaries. Concerns have been raised that China could leverage AI for widespread surveillance and gain access to sensitive data on Western citizens if it leads the technological race.
Sanders has also voiced particular concern over AI's potential impact on employment through automation. He has previously called for a moratorium on the construction of new data centers that support the development of advanced AI models.
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Despite these efforts, Sanders' calls for pausing AI development have not yet gained significant traction. However, with potential shifts in congressional control following the November elections, there is a possibility that Democrats could initiate investigations into the technology sector.
Representatives for Meta, Anthropic, and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.