Link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/10/bernie-sanders-ai-development-pause-letter

I have a lot of respect for Bernie Sanders, but he has a trash take on AI.

Headlines like this are exactly what AI companies and techbros want, they want us to be afraid, they want us to be against AI because "it is too powerful", it is an obvious grift, arguably the most basic form of mass advertisement and Bernie falls right for it while amplifying the advertising with his platform.

We should halt AI development because it is economic fraud and environmentally catastrophic, not because it works, it doesn't work for shit given the energy and time required to produce a result worth using.

I like Bernie and he is not wrong but this is screaming for a particular gif:

We should halt AI development because it is economic fraud and environmentally catastrophic

This, emphasis on the “environmentally catastrophic” part.

There's a video of Sanders talking to Yudkowsky and it's... something

The twats in charge right now have already proven they don't care about humanity...

It still needs to be said. I doubt he's under any illusions about how the techbros will respond.

IIRC there is almost nobody in the House of Representatives with Computer Science training and very few with Engineering. A messed-up country! I for one salute our coming Chinese technocrats.

And gamers

Who is advising Sanders on AI?

he’s met with yud, presumably there’s some others too

Heard a rumor that one of his advisor is married to an AI specialist at Google. Like I don't expect Sanders to know who yud is unless someone on his staff told him it would be a good idea to talk to him.