Sanders and Bannon to Address Washington Event on AI Curbs

Voters face mounting questions about who will control artificial intelligence as its developers warn of rapid capability gains and lawmakers weigh limits on the technology. An event scheduled for Tuesday in Washington brings together figures from opposite ends of the political spectrum to press Congress for stronger oversight before systems advance further.

Senator Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon are both set to speak at the Pro-Human Assembly organized by the Future of Life Institute. The nonprofit released 33 principles in March that call for humans to retain control over AI, preserve individual agency, and hold companies accountable. Additional speakers include AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, National Association of Evangelicals President Walter Kim, actors Ashley Judd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and parents of children who died by suicide after interactions with AI chatbots.

The gathering occurs as AI-related stocks fell Monday following an Anthropic researcher’s resignation and public calls from executives at Anthropic and OpenAI for slower development. Bannon, speaking on his Monday broadcast, criticized President Trump’s resistance to federal rules and urged lawmakers to allow states to impose their own restrictions, stating that the American people would not become supplicants to tech oligarchs. Trump countered on Sunday that existing safeguards suffice and that the United States must maintain its lead over China.

Senate discussions continue on draft legislation that would block states from regulating high-level AI risks. The House is scheduled to vote as early as Tuesday on the Ratepayer Protection Act, which aims to shield consumers from higher electricity costs linked to data-center construction. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said companies rather than Congress should handle safety, citing the risk of falling behind China.

Sanders and Representative Greg Casar have separately called for federal prohibitions on AI tools that could overthrow or undermine the U.S. government until a dedicated oversight agency is created. Organizers described the assembly as an effort to center common humanity in decisions about AI’s future.