Bernie Sanders Warns AI Revolution Could Be “Most Dangerous Moment” in U.S. History

In a stark warning delivered at Stanford University, Senator Bernie Sanders has declared that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence represents “the most dangerous moment in the modern history of this country,” urging immediate policy intervention before tech giants reshape society beyond recognition.

“The Congress and the American people are very unprepared for the tsunami that is coming,” Sanders told students and faculty, emphasizing that both lawmakers and citizens have “not a clue” about the scale and speed of the AI revolution barreling toward them.

Sanders made these remarks alongside Congressman Ro Khanna, the Silicon Valley Democrat who represents the very tech companies driving this transformation. The two lawmakers met privately with senior executives from the most prominent tech companies during Sanders’ visit to California, though they declined to name specific executives.

The Vermont senator’s alarm comes as AI development accelerates at breakneck speed, with companies racing to build increasingly powerful systems while policymakers struggle to keep pace. Sanders has called for an immediate moratorium on AI data center expansion, arguing that slowing the revolution is necessary to protect workers and give society time to catch up.

Khanna, while sharing concerns about the rapid pace of change, stopped short of supporting a moratorium. Instead, he advocated for what he called a “Singapore model” for data center growth—emphasizing renewable energy, water efficiency, and guardrails against what he described as a “new gilded age” dominated by tech billionaires who believe they “would have been heroic conquerors in a different era.”

“That’s just not my observation,” Khanna said. “That’s what they tell me.”

The warnings come amid growing public anxiety about AI’s impact on employment and society. A 2025 Pew Research survey found that 64% of Americans believe AI “will lead to fewer jobs over the next 20 years,” while only 17% expect AI to have a positive impact on the United States over the same period.

Sanders painted a sobering picture of AI’s potential to eliminate millions of jobs across sectors—from truck drivers and fast-food workers to white-collar professionals. He cited industry leaders’ predictions of widespread automation and raised concerns about AI’s impact on human connection and emotional wellbeing.

He pointed to a Washington D.C. restaurant offering Valentine’s Day specials for people and their “AI buddies,” drawing laughs from students but using it to highlight a serious concern. “A lot of people are becoming dependent upon AI for their emotional support,” Sanders said. “What is the long-term impact of that?”

The senator’s California visit included stops in Los Angeles, where he delivered a scathing denunciation of billionaire greed and helped launch a campaign for a ballot initiative imposing a one-time 5% tax on residents worth more than $1 billion—a proposal that has already prompted some ultra-wealthy tech leaders to flee or threaten to do so.

Sanders argued that the unprecedented speed and scale of AI changes threaten to enrich a handful of billionaires while deepening inequality and leaving policymakers and the public ill-equipped to respond. He urged a serious public debate about the future of work as AI disrupts the economy, democracy, and human relationships.

“AI and robotics are neither good nor bad,” Sanders concluded. “The question is: will a handful of billionaires benefit from it, or will the general public benefit?”

Khanna outlined seven principles to guard against “oligarchic capture and dominance” of AI-generated wealth, arguing that Silicon Valley must serve America rather than the reverse. The congressman, considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, emphasized the need to “steer” AI development rather than halt it entirely.

As tech CEOs argue that AI will drive productivity and create new employment opportunities, critics like Sanders warn that the revolution’s speed threatens to leave society scrambling to adapt, with working-class Americans bearing the brunt of the disruption.

The Stanford event highlighted the growing divide between tech industry optimism about AI’s potential and progressive concerns about its societal impact, setting the stage for what promises to be one of the defining policy battles of the coming decade.

Tags: #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #BernieSanders #TechRegulation #FutureOfWork #SiliconValley #TechBillionaires #AIThreat #DataCenters #Automation #EconomicInequality #AIJobs #Stanford #RoKhanna #TechPolicy #AIEthics #DigitalRevolution #AIConcerns #CongressionalAction #TechMoratorium

Viral Phrases:

• “The most dangerous moment in the modern history of this country”
• “Congress and the American people have not a clue”
• “Unprepared for the tsunami that is coming”
• “Slow this thing down”
• “New gilded age”
• “Tech billionaires believe they would have been heroic conquerors”
• “AI and robotics are neither good nor bad”
• “Will a handful of billionaires benefit, or will the general public benefit?”
• “What do we do with our lives?”
• “People are becoming dependent upon AI for their emotional support”
• “The tsunami that is coming”
• “Singapore model” for AI regulation
• “Oligarchic capture and dominance”
• “We must ask not what America can do for Silicon Valley”
• “Fight Oligarchy tour”
• “AI buddies” Valentine’s Day special
• “Not a clue” about the AI revolution
• “The Congress and the American people are very unprepared”
• “Urgent policy action” needed
• “Most dangerous moment” in U.S. history

,