Bernie Sanders warns AI could deepen inequality and reshape war

Sen. Bernie Sanders explains why he thinks artificial intelligence poses profound risks for American workers and society at large.

The robot warriors are coming, and so are the zillionaires, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., warned in a wide-ranging interview with NBC News on the rise and risks of artificial intelligence.

“I think we are not all that far away from the development of robotic soldiers,” Sanders said Sunday. “Right now, politicians — at least sometimes — have to worry about loss of life when they decide to go to war. If you don’t have to worry about loss of life, and what you worry about is loss of robots, what does that mean for issues of war and peace globally? It’s a big issue.”

Sanders is known for his focus on the millionaires and billionaires of the world, and how the U.S. government might favor them.

In recent months, he’s turned his attention to AI, which he says is an extension of his primary concerns about wealth inequality.“Today, before we have seen the full implications of robotics and AI, you’re looking at unprecedented wealth and income concentration,” Sanders said.

“The top 1% of Americans own more wealth than the bottom 93%,” he said. “All of these zillionaires — the Musks, the Ellisons, the Bezoses, the Zuckerbergs — are investing hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars into AI and robotics. What is the result of all that?”