Why Bernie Sanders is targeting ‘richest people in the world’ over AI boom?

US senator Bernie Sanders has escalated his warning over artificial intelligence, arguing that the technology’s rapid expansion—driven by the world’s wealthiest individuals—risks destabilising labour markets, undermining human connection and outpacing democratic oversight.

Bernie Sanders raised the possibility of a moratorium on new AI data centres, saying lawmakers have yet to grapple seriously with the social consequences of a technology advancing at breakneck speed.

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Sanders said he was “fearful of a lot” when it came to AI, describing it as “the most consequential technology in the history of humanity” that would “transform” the United States and the world in ways that have not been fully discussed.

“If there are no jobs and humans won’t be needed for most things, how do people get an income to feed their families, to get healthcare or to pay the rent?” Sanders said. “There’s not been one serious word of discussion in the Congress about that reality.”

Bernie Sanders's warning echoes a growing body of research suggesting that AI-driven automation could reshape employment on a vast scale. Recent global labour-market projections indicate that while new roles may emerge, tens of millions of existing jobs worldwide could be displaced by the end of the decade, with advanced economies facing particularly acute transitions. Yet, as Sanders noted, there has been little sustained debate in Congress about how to redesign welfare systems, healthcare access or housing policy in anticipation of such disruption.

“You think they’re staying up nights worrying about working people and how this technology will impact those people?” Sanders said. “They are not. They are doing it to get richer and even more powerful.”

The senator’s remarks come amid an unprecedented surge in AI investment. Private funding into AI companies has climbed into the tens of billions of dollars annually, with vast sums flowing into data centres, advanced chips and generative AI systems—often concentrated in the hands of a few dominant firms.

“If this trend continues, what does it mean over the years when people are not getting their support, their interaction from other human beings, but from a machine?” he said. “What does that mean to humanity?”

That concern has found rare bipartisan resonance. Republican senator Katie Britt used a separate appearance on State of the Union to outline legislation aimed at protecting minors from AI companions.

The bill seeks to ban AI companions for minors outright, require chatbots to repeatedly disclose that they are non-human and lack professional credentials, and establish criminal liability for companies that allow AI systems to produce sexually explicit material, encourage self-harm or promote violence to underage users.

Britt said she had spoken to parents who shared “devastating stories” about children becoming isolated from their families after prolonged chatbot interactions.

“If these AI companies can make the most brilliant machines in the world, they could do us all a service by putting up proper guardrails,” she said, adding that users should be clearly told: “I am a machine.”

While the GUARD Act is narrowly focused on child protection, policy analysts note that its effectiveness will depend heavily on enforcement and the feasibility of robust age-verification systems—an area where technology, privacy and compliance challenges remain unresolved.

“Frankly, I think you have got to slow this process down,” he said. “It’s not good enough for the oligarchs to tell us, it’s coming, you adapt.”

“What are they going to do when people have no jobs?” Sanders asked. “What are they going to do, make housing free?”

As AI investment continues to soar and data centres multiply across the United States, Sanders’ intervention reframes the debate. The question, he suggests, is no longer whether artificial intelligence will transform society, but whether democratic institutions can still shape the terms on which that transformation occurs.

In the United States, generative AI is already compressing white-collar roles in legal services, finance and customer support, where tasks such as document review, data analysis and routine client interactions are increasingly handled by machines, according to research cited by Goldman Sachs.

Automation is also accelerating in manufacturing and logistics. The World Economic Forum has found that employers expect continued declines in clerical, administrative and assembly-line jobs as AI-driven robotics and predictive systems expand.

Beyond technical fields, studies by the OECD and McKinsey suggest AI could expand employment in human-centred sectors such as healthcare, education and mental health services, where empathy, judgement and interpersonal skills remain difficult to automate.

However, researchers caution that without large-scale retraining and public investment, job creation may lag behind displacement—amplifying the economic insecurity Sanders has warned Congress has yet to address.