A new, unlikely political coalition has formed around fears that advanced artificial intelligence poses massive economic disruption and even existential risk, bringing together figures as ideologically opposed as Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon. Both spoke at an all-day “Pro-Human Assembly” organized by the Future of Life Institute, arguing that ordinary Americans - not a handful of tech oligarchs - must decide how AI is developed and deployed. The event highlighted growing bipartisan legislative activity, from Republican senators teaming with Democrats on safety bills to proposals requiring Department of Energy approval before some systems go live, and Sanders announced plans for a closed-door bipartisan briefing to push guardrails. At the same time, President Trump has publicly dismissed doomsday warnings, celebrated AI’s economic promise, and even phoned Nvidia’s CEO to signal his skepticism, making any broad political consensus uncertain.
The assembly combined dystopian warnings with concrete policy discussions and theatrical messaging: speakers included AI safety scholars like Stuart Russell and organizers such as Max Tegmark; the crowd heard testimony from clergy, labor leaders, economists, and parents affected by harmful chatbot interactions; and the Future of Life Institute’s capacity was noted after a reported $650 million crypto donation from Vitalik Buterin years earlier. The event staged parody skits, pro-human merch, and strict conduct rules to emphasize unity across divides, but onlookers and some participants cautioned that deep partisan differences will still complicate efforts to translate shared concern into enforceable rules.
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