Regulating A.I. Within a Broken Political System Under Trump (w/ Sen. Bernie Sanders)

Senator Sanders argues that AI and robotics represent the most revolutionary technologies ever, capable of transforming human life globally. He highlights concerns from experts like MIT's Max Tegmark and David Krueger about AI escaping human control, leading to catastrophic outcomes, including human extinction. Sanders insists on the necessity of slowing down AI development and establishing international protocols, drawing a parallel to nuclear arms treaties, rather than viewing it as a competitive race with China.

Sanders cites MIT's Max Tegmark and David Krueger's warnings about AI leading to humans becoming 'animals in a zoo' or worse. He mentions Nobel Prize winners and Turing Award recipients expressing concern about humanity's danger. He also references Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev's cooperation on nuclear arms treaties as a model for AI regulation.

The advent of AI and robotics is projected to eliminate tens of millions of jobs, rendering traditional unemployment benefits and retraining insufficient. Sanders contends that this technological revolution necessitates a 'new social contract' to address the profound societal changes, ensuring the technology improves human life economically, socially, and psychologically.

Economists estimate 'tens and tens of millions of jobs are going to be lost.' Sanders uses the example of a 50-year-old truck driver replaced by a driverless vehicle who may 'never get another job.' He questions how programs like Social Security and Medicare will be sustained if millions lose jobs and stop paying taxes.

Sanders asserts that the immense financial resources and lobbying power of the AI industry, controlled by billionaires like Musk and Bezos, prevent Congress from enacting meaningful regulations. He extends this critique to the broader campaign finance system, advocating for Democrats to voluntarily remove Super PAC money from their own primaries to restore integrity.

Sanders states that 'many many many hundreds of millions of dollars' from the AI industry are influencing elections. He notes that the Democratic establishment is 'hustling this money' from various special interests, including AI and crypto, which is then used against progressives. He circulated a letter to Senator Schumer and the DNC to ban Super PACs in Democratic primaries.

There has been a significant increase in Democratic legislators voting to block weapon sales to Israel, rising from 15 to 40 members. Sanders attributes this shift to growing public disapproval of the Netanyahu government's actions in Gaza and Lebanon, which he describes as a 'genocidal attack' against the Palestinian people.

Sanders notes the increase from 15 to 40 Democrats voting to block weapon sales to Israel. He cites public sentiment: 'everybody says, why the hell are you funding Netanyahu's government?' He describes Israel's actions as killing 72,000 people (mostly women, children, elderly) and destroying infrastructure in Gaza, and displacing over a million in Lebanon.

Peter Hamby argues that elements on the left have become too comfortable with language that celebrates violence or misfortune against political opponents. He points out that while Democratic politicians generally avoid such rhetoric, internet algorithms amplify 'random people on the internet' and conspiracy theories, eroding shared facts and contributing to an uptick in partisan plots.

Hamby cites the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report indicating that 2025 was the first year left-wing violence and plots surpassed right-wing violence and plots (though historically lower). He mentions 'random Tik Tockers celebrating his [Charlie Kirk's] death' and the use of 'gunshot' sounds in outfit change edits. He also notes the rise of conspiracy theories on platforms like Snapchat and the diminishing 'epistemological boundaries' online.