Bernie Sanders Demands Congress Pause Advanced AI Development Now: 'They’re Racing to Build a Technology They Can’t Control'

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has raised concerns about the potential dangers of advanced artificial intelligence, warning that uncontrolled development could threaten critical infrastructure and humanity. Sanders Sounds Alarm Over AI Risks On Saturday, in a post on X, Sanders warned that powerful technology companies were preparing for a potential AI catastrophe while continuing to develop increasingly advanced systems. "Big Tech oligarchs are secretly preparing for a ‘catastrophic AI event’ that could threaten our banking, healthcare, internet, electricity and water systems," he wrote. He argued that technology companies were racing to build systems they might not be able to control, raising concerns about the potential consequences for society. "They’re racing to build a technology they can’t control and that threatens humanity," Sanders wrote. The senator called on lawmakers to intervene, concluding his post with a direct demand: "CONGRESS MUST PAUSE ADVANCED AI DEVELOPMENT NOW." Big Tech oligarchs are secretly preparing for a "catastrophic AI event" that could threaten our banking, healthcare, internet, electricity and water systems. They’re racing to build a technology they can’t control and that threatens humanity. CONGRESS MUST PAUSE ADVANCED AI…— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 9, 2026 Read Also: Anthropic's Warning Goes Beyond Pentagon Fallout as AI Giant Fears Trump Government Pressure Could Damage Customer and Partner Relationships (UPDATED) Calls For AI Oversight Last month, former Vice President Kamala Harris called for a slowdown in advanced AI development, urging Congress to pass AI laws, establish a federal oversight body and pursue international safety standards. In August, venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya said AI had entered a self-improvement cycle that could rapidly accelerate capabilities and drive model costs toward zero. In June, OpenAI urged governments to establish a global body to monitor advanced AI development and coordinate slowdowns when risks outpaced safeguards. Rival Anthropic also called for the option to pause advanced AI development to allow safety measures to keep pace with technological progress. Burry Warned Over Big Tech’s AI Spending Earlier this month, Investor Michael Burry said major technology companies were spending heavily on data centers because they expected to become an oligopoly too big to fail. JPMorgan expects AI capital spending could reach $1 trillion in 2027, while Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) reportedly sought $40 billion in financing to purchase Nvidia chips. In July, Burry also said investors had favored stronger returns over heavy AI spending, noting that Google parent Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) and Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL) had underperformed the broader market since June. He highlighted falling valuations as investors reassessed AI spending, saying, "The market has voted and the results are clear." Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Read Also: Elon Musk's xAI Adds Two AI Startup Founders To Build Advanced Coding Tools Photo courtesy: Shutterstock