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From job losses to doomsday scenarios, not all risks are created equal
Vermont’s independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has once again positioned himself as a vocal critic of unchecked technological advancement, warning in a recent Gizmodo interview that artificial intelligence could deepen economic divides, erode workers’ rights, and even pose existential threats to humanity.
Published on July 13, 2025, the conversation underscores Sanders’ ongoing advocacy for policies that prioritize ordinary Vermonters and Americans over corporate elites, while drawing on his discussions with leading AI experts to frame the technology as a double-edged sword. In the interview, conducted by Gizmodo’s Luc Olinga, Sanders emphasized that AI is “neither good nor bad” but depends on who controls its benefits.
Sanders Says Billionaires Win Again
He argued that without systemic changes, productivity gains from AI would flow disproportionately to billionaires and CEOs, leaving workers with stagnant or declining wages – a pattern he traced back over the past 50 years of technological progress. “Almost all the benefits of that productivity have gone to the corporations and to the companies that developed that technology,” Sanders told Gizmodo, attributing the claim to inflation-adjusted wage data that shows many workers earning less in real terms today despite soaring output.
Sanders’ familiarity with AI stems from his policy-focused engagement rather than hands-on technical expertise. As a senator serving on committees like Budget and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, he has consistently addressed technology’s societal impacts. Recent statements reveal a pattern: In a June 16, 2025, post on X, Sanders called for a shorter workweek amid the “explosion of AI,” insisting benefits must go to working families, not “high-tech CEOs.”
Earlier, in March and April 2025 X posts, he criticized figures like Elon Musk for arbitrary firings, warning that AI could similarly displace private-sector workers without safeguards.
News reports from outlets like TechCrunch and Futurism in June 2025 highlighted Sanders’ push for a four-day workweek, arguing AI-driven productivity should yield more leisure time for activities like family or hobbies, not just corporate profits.
Does Bernie Understand Tech?
Experts familiar with Sanders’ record describe his AI knowledge as informed by briefings and consultations rather than deep engineering prowess. “He’s spoken with some of the world’s leading AI experts,” Sanders revealed in the Gizmodo piece, noting a call just hours before the interview where concerns about job losses and uncontrollable AI were echoed.
This aligns with broader discourse: While Sanders isn’t authoring code or algorithms, his grasp of economic modeling – such as productivity-wage gaps documented by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – demonstrates a solid understanding of tech’s ripple effects. However, critics like some Silicon Valley leaders argue his views overlook AI’s potential to create jobs, viewing his perspective as more ideological than empirical.
AI and Mental Health
Beyond economics, Sanders raised alarms about AI’s toll on mental health, suggesting over-reliance on chatbots could exacerbate loneliness and instability, particularly among Vermont’s youth already grappling with digital isolation. He likened it to a “successful operation where the patient dies,” prioritizing human well-being over unchecked innovation. Sanders also invoked a “doomsday scenario” – AI escaping human control and dominating society – a fear he said is shared by “very knowledgeable people” in the field.
Assessing Bernie’s Predictions
To balance these warnings, it’s worth assessing the viability of Sanders’ highlighted risks based on recent research from organizations like the Center for AI Safety, McKinsey, and expert surveys compiled by groups such as 80,000 Hours. While Sanders’ concerns are rooted in real trends, not all carry equal likelihood. The following table categorizes them, drawing on analyses of historical data, economic projections, and AI safety studies:
This framework reveals Sanders’ strengths in spotlighting socio-economic perils – areas where evidence is robust – while his existential fears, though echoed by some pioneers, remain more conjectural.
In a broader pessimistic outlook, Sanders tied AI risks to global woes like wars in Ukraine and Gaza, urging ordinary people to “control the future” through militant union action. “The greed of billionaires controls the process,” he told Gizmodo, advocating for AI to eradicate poverty if harnessed equitably – a viable but conditional outcome per World Bank projections.
Why and How Will it Affect Vermont?
As Vermont grapples with its own tech landscape, from IBM’s legacy in Essex Junction to emerging startups in Burlington, Sanders’ interview serves as a timely reminder: AI’s promise must be democratized, or its perils could hit close to home. While not all dangers are imminent, his balanced critique – blending hope with caution – reinforces why the senator remains a fixture in national debates on equity and innovation.
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Categories: Science and Technology
All important issues, but peripheral to the main A.I. agenda being advanced by the current administration: the implementation of a digital control grid. That’s what the $500 billion Stargate program is about, that’s what Real ID is about, that’s what the national citizen database is about, that’s what all sorts of movements toward digital currencies and monetary systems is about. Below is a slightly dated primer; you can bet that all of these components have advanced even further by now:
https://solarireport.substack.com/p/the-fast-approaching-digital-control?publication_id=3243028&post_id=161526936&isFreemail=true&r=5dznww&triedRedirect=true
Now you know why all those tech billionaires, who were so despised during the Biden Administration for their censorship shenanigans and Covid lockdown profiteering, are now aligned with Trump. Because the so-called “elites” don’t care about political allegiances, only about their agenda.
That’s a good reason for “RESIST”.
Vermont’s independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has once again positioned himself to the moving bandwagon, to gain the proper attention he so rightly deserves. That should have been the first lone in the article. If not noted, there is a hint of sarcasm as I write this!
His ‘moving bandwagon’ to push and enforce communist principles and instill oligarchy while professing to be against it. He is showing his communist roots that he was indoctrinated in earlier in life and assuredly during his honeymoon in the closed society of the old Soviet Union where admission was by invitation only
Almost everyone will be amazed, as I have been, at what AI can already do to increase our individual knowledge base and help us communicate. Make no mistake. This is a profound change for our culture. It’s already here.
Yes, this technology has its dangers too. But, IMHO, having used AI for a while now, AI is self-regulating. False assertions are exposed in real time. Truth is all-powerful. This is why people like Bernie Sanders, and others of the so-called expert elite are so threatened by it.
Understand this: we all now have the awesome power of knowledge, reason and communications at our fingertips. We The People really do now control our own destiny, our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. But also try to understand this… our individual responsibility is on the line. What we do with this technology will be a reflection of our character. Our Constitutional Republic will, as Ben Franklin opined, hang in the balance.
“I agree to this Constitution, with all its Faults, if they are such: because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no Form of Government but what may be a Blessing to the People if well administred; and I believe farther that this is likely to be well administred for a Course of Years, and can only end in Despotism as other Forms have done before it, when the People shall become so corrupted as to need Despotic Government, being incapable of any other.”
We are about to see profound changes. First, in education. Teachers and schools are obsolete. Even Primary Care is about to go do-it-yourself. As will civil law services. The entertainment industry, as we know it, is going to go the way of the Dodo Bird.
Your know – The dodo bird, scientifically known as Raphus cucullatus, was a flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It became extinct in the late 17th century, around 1681, due to a combination of human activities and the introduction of non-native species.
Key Facts about the Dodo Bird:
Physical Characteristics: The dodo was about 3 feet tall and weighed around 23-39 pounds. It had a large, hooked beak, stout body, and small, useless wings.
Habitat: Dodos inhabited the forests of Mauritius, where they nested on the ground.
Diet: They were omnivorous, feeding on fruits, seeds, nuts, and possibly small land vertebrates.
Extinction Causes: The primary reasons for the dodo’s extinction included:
Hunting: European sailors hunted dodos for food.
Habitat Destruction: The introduction of invasive species, such as rats, pigs, and monkeys, led to the destruction of their nests and competition for food.
Cultural Impact: The dodo has become a symbol of extinction and human impact on the environment. Its story serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of human actions on biodiversity.
Despite its extinction, the dodo remains a subject of fascination and study, highlighting the importance of conservation efforts for endangered species today.
But the most profound change will be in our political bureaucracy, the so-called ‘deep state’. ‘The sound of whines, bawls, screams and invective will fill the air as the agony of withdrawal pangs from the public nipple finds voice.’
Buckle your seat belts, folks. Welcome to the 21st century – full tilt.
The dodo was notoriously trusting of these two-legged newcomers, not sensing the threat. No parallels here….
Tyler, to the contrary, many have no fear of the communist socialist takeover being perpetrated by the Deep State and the popular control of handouts using tax money to buy power
When AI popped up on my radar I didn’t think much of it but when powerful people were promoting it I gave it a go.
I’m a retired security guy, so I tasked it ,a little bit at a time, as I was testing it, with a serious hypothetical security problem and over time it came up with a stunning result, that proved to be correct ,and I went like, “WOW!”.
So I decided to Red Team it, so over a period of two months, in dribs and drabs, I red teamed it, teaching it ,pushing it hard ,testing it ,trying to trick it, each session coming at it from another angle, and after the 2 month long exercise I came to my conclusion and deleted my account, shutting it down and removing myself from its hosting site.
I never thought I’d agree with Bernie Mittens on anything but I agree with him on this, but for very different reasons, than what he listed.
My conclusion is that AI is the greatest threat to humanity since the development of nuclear weaponry, but my conclusions have nothing to do with Bernie Mittens narrative.
Take it for what it is worth…I don’t scare easily, but my findings scared the crap out of me…human nature being what it is.
It should you too.
My two cents…take it or leave it.