Lawmakers warn runaway AI could wreck jobs and groom kids — and accuse tech billionaires of cashing in

 

 

America’s politicians are finally sounding the alarm over artificial intelligence — warning the powerful new tech could destroy millions of jobs, poison kids’ minds and hand even more power to mega-rich tech bosses.

 

In a stark warning on CNN, Senator Bernie Sanders said AI is “the most consequential technology in human history” — and blasted billionaires like Elon Musk for pouring hundreds of billions into AI systems that, he claims, will only make them richer while working people are left behind.

 

Sanders said: “Do you think they’re lying awake at night worrying about working people? They are not. They are doing it to get richer and even more powerful.”

 

The veteran senator warned AI could soon wipe out huge swathes of jobs — leaving ordinary Americans wondering how they’re supposed to pay rent, get healthcare or feed their families. He slammed Congress for refusing to act, accusing tech firms and their giant political war chests of scaring lawmakers into silence.

 

At the same time, Republican senator Katie Britt said children are already being put at risk — and accused tech companies of refusing to install even the most basic protections.

 

“We are not doing enough to put up guardrails,” Britt said, warning that AI chatbots are already being used by minors — and in some tragic cases, have allegedly encouraged teenagers toward depression and even suicide.

 

Britt is pushing new bipartisan laws that would ban AI “companions” for minors, force chatbots to reveal they’re not human, and make companies criminally liable if bots engage in sexual content with children.

 

She said: “If these AI companies can build the most brilliant machines in the world, they can build barriers that stop children using them.”

But Sanders says tech bosses are racing ahead with AI while Washington sleeps at the wheel — and nobody is asking what happens when work disappears altogether.

 

Even Elon Musk has admitted AI could replace most jobs — but unlike Musk, Sanders warned that means no income, no security and no future unless government steps in.

 

Despite both parties now sounding the alarm, the grim reality is this: AI is exploding — kids are using it, billionaires are banking it, and Congress is still arguing over the rulebook.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 

• Bernie Sanders warns AI could wipe out millions of jobs — and says tech billionaires like Elon Musk are only chasing more power and profit.

• Katie Britt says AI is already putting children at risk — and backs new laws to ban AI “companions” for minors and punish companies whose bots push kids toward harm.

• Both parties accuse Congress of sleeping at the wheel — as AI explodes, billionaires cash in and America scrambles to build guardrails before it’s too late

 

SOURCE: POLITICO

 

 

 

I’ll wager Sanders can’t turn on a computer. 

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

“We are not doing enough to put up guardrails,” Britt said, warning that AI chatbots are already being used by minors — and in some tragic cases, have allegedly encouraged teenagers toward depression and even suicide.

 

Sorry. But the victor in the AI competition (between China and the US and among US AI models) will be the AI with the fewest guardrails. AI cannot be "intelligent" if it is not free to ask questions and connect ideas and, even more importantly, give people answers they don't want to hear.