US Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday warned that the artificial intelligence boom could lead to job disruptions and unprecedented surveillance, eclipsing any benefits.
The Independent Vermont senator delivered one of the main speeches on the need for AI regulation during the Pro-Human Assembly, a gathering that attracted politicians, technology experts, economists and academics pushing for stronger AI regulation.
"It as advancing exponentially every single day," Mr Sanders said, calling AI the most transformational technology in humanity's history. He lamented that the US Congress has not yet passed any meaningful AI-related regulatory legislation.
Mr Sanders said that he will soon introduce legislation to ban the development of AI super-intelligence that might slip out of human control.
"It will pause development until we have clear safety rules in place developed by the most knowledgeable scientists in the country," he said.
This week, US President Donald Trump Trump dismissed warnings of the need for protection in AI, calling them part of a “hoax” and “sick conspiracy”.
"President Trump's ignorance on this issue is embarrassing," Mr Sanders said.
The event took place after several high-profile AI incidents in which models compromised the security of various systems without being told to do so.
It also occurred days after AI executives such as Dario Amodei, Sam Altman and Elon Musk appeared to agree that there should be a pause in certain aspects of development.
The Pro Human Assembly, taking place in Washington, featured a range of public figures, from leftist Mr Sanders to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
"The past 72 hours show you why we should be so worried, and now there are some of brightest engineers speaking out about it," Mr Bannon said.
The far-right populist also called out what he viewed as the hypocrisy of some of the AI executives now calling for more protection.
"The arrogance of these individuals," he said, alleging that they tried to sneak an AI liability amnesty provision into various congressional bills in the past, only to be caught out and for the amnesty to be removed.
"They want to socialise all the risk with the American people, and include bailouts from the American people, all while keeping the financial upside of AI," Mr Bannon added.
Actress and activist Ashley Judd also took part in the event, reflecting on how women are particularly vulnerable to deep-fake images and videos that have become so prevalent.
“We have to look at the demand as well as the production of this sexual abuse material,” she said.
Ms Judd also mentioned the addictive nature of the AI-generated content.
AI chatbot warnings
One of the more poignant moments during the event occurred when parents spoke of their young teenagers who had taken their lives after long discussions and interactions with AI chatbots.
“I miss my daughter with every breath I take,” said Cynthia Peralta, mother of Juliana Peralta, who took her life at 13. “What most parents still don’t know at this point is that 70 per cent of teens are using these chatbots."
Sewell Setzer, father of Sewell Setzer III, who took his life at the age of 14, said efforts to enact AI protection would continue.
“We’re going to continue to come to events like this, lobby politicians and turn our tragedy into purpose,” he said, adding that far too often those concerned about technology are painted as zealots.
“We’re not against technology, but the way things are right now, it’s not the best version of AI. We need to do the right thing and be on the right side of history.”
