US Senator Bernie Sanders has a message for big tech leaders amid increasing concerns against powerful AI models. Sanders has called for stronger action to control the development of advanced artificial intelligence, saying that simply slowing down the AI race is not enough.
He pointed to recent warnings from AI leaders and said the technology should not be allowed to develop without stronger limits. In a recent post on X, Sanders said Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Tesla and xAI CEO Elon Musk, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman now agree that the development of AI should be slowed and its progress carefully managed.
“Dario Amodei, Elon Musk and Sam Altman now agree that we must slow down the development of AI and “pace the frontier.” That’s a start, but it’s not enough,” Sanders wrote.
Sanders Wants AI Leaders To ‘Hit The Brakes’
Sanders used a strong comparison to explain why he believes the current approach does not go far enough.
“When you are racing towards a cliff, you don’t just ease up on the gas pedal. You hit the brakes,” he said.
His message is that AI companies should not simply reduce the speed of development. Instead, Sanders wants governments and technology companies to consider a much stronger pause on the development of advanced AI.
He argued that the risks could become too serious if AI systems become more capable than humans and are able to operate without meaningful human control.
Calls For A Pause On Advanced AI
Sanders said the stakes are too high for governments to rely only on voluntary efforts by technology companies.
“When the future of humanity is at stake we need a PAUSE on advanced AI development and a ban on artificial superintelligence — an AI mind smarter than any human and capable of operating independently beyond our control.”
He is also calling for international action. Sanders wants US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss limits on advanced AI at their upcoming summit.
“At their upcoming AI summit, Trump and Xi must negotiate a treaty to pause AI and ban superintelligence before it is too late.”
Why AI Leaders Are Talking About Slowing Down
Sanders’ comments come after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI development may be moving faster than efforts to understand and control its risks. In his essay titled We Must Pace the Frontier, Amodei argued that AI companies need to manage the speed at which they develop increasingly powerful systems.
Amodei has also highlighted the potential benefits of AI. He wrote that the technology could improve human health, boost economic growth and expand human capabilities. “I have worked on AI for the last twelve years because I believe it could dramatically raise the quality of human life. I’ve written often about these incredible benefits: I believe that AI could cure most major diseases in the next 5–10 years, greatly accelerate economic growth rates, create a world of abundance and empowerment, and usher in a renaissance of democracy and freedom,” Amodei wrote.
At the same time, he warned that more powerful AI could create major risks, including loss of control over AI systems, cyberattacks, bioterrorism and disruption to the economy.
