Sanders, Bannon together call for controls on AI

US Senator Bernie Sanders, a leftist heavyweight, and political strategist Steve Bannon, who is an influential figure in the Make America Great Again movement, have together appealed for tighter controls on the development of artificial intelligence.

The heads of major AI companies in the United States and others have been calling for a slowdown in AI development and pointing to the need for regulations. But President Donald Trump has expressed opposition to such moves. He argues that the government can guarantee the safety of AI.

On Tuesday, Sanders and Bannon both appeared at an event in Washington organized to call for AI controls. This comes amid ongoing debates in the country about AI safety.

The senator said, "The public has had virtually no input into the AI revolution that is transforming the world in which they live."

He added, "Virtually all of the decisions regarding the development of AI have been made by a handful of the richest people in the world."

Bannon served as chief White House strategist during Trump's first administration. He maintains clout within Trump's MAGA support base.

He said: "I think Senator Sanders did a very good job of summarizing the risk. Obviously, he and I have a quite different opinion of the president of the United States, but we're trying to raise above partisanship. And we have to."

US media outlets say that it is unusual for the two, who are on opposite ends of America's ideological divide, to speak at the same gathering.