Who would have thought we’d see Senator Bernie Sanders and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon co-sharing an event?
But that’s exactly what happened when they appeared at the Pro-Human Assembly, joining voices from across the political spectrum calling for stronger safeguards around artificial intelligence.
Sanders, a progressive independent from Vermont, and Bannon, one of the most prominent figures of the MAGA movement, have little political ground in common. But at the Washington conference, both warned that the rapid development of increasingly powerful AI could pose serious risks if humans lose control over the technology.
Sanders argued that AI is advancing at an extraordinary pace and warned that if machines eventually surpass human intelligence, they could become impossible to control. He called for international cooperation and stronger guardrails before that point is reached.
Bannon followed Sanders at the event, also criticizing the power of major technology companies and arguing that Americans should have a greater say in how AI develops. Their appearance highlighted how concerns about AI safety are increasingly crossing traditional political lines.
The warnings come as some people inside the technology industry are making increasingly stark predictions. Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon recently resigned and warned that sufficiently advanced AI could potentially threaten humanity within the next decade. Other AI researchers have disputed or questioned such catastrophic scenarios, emphasizing that many of the risks being discussed remain uncertain.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has taken a very different position. Trump has repeatedly dismissed fears about AI as a “hoax” and argued that America must continue moving rapidly to maintain its technological advantage over China. During a recent public appearance with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Trump said, “The robots will not be taking over.”
The issue is creating an unusual divide, including among people who generally support Trump. While there is no single measure establishing that AI concerns are broadly unpopular among Trump supporters, recent reporting shows that some conservative lawmakers and figures are also calling for safeguards and questioning the unchecked power of technology companies.
The remarkable sight of Sanders and Bannon warning about the same technology illustrates just how quickly AI has moved from a Silicon Valley debate into the center of Washington’s political conversation. The fundamental question emerging from the Pro-Human Assembly is no longer simply how fast AI can develop, but how much control humans should retain as it does.