Sanders and Bannon unite to demand AI curbs but split over China

What happened

Left-wing senator Bernie Sanders and right-wing populist Steve Bannon have joined forces in Washington to demand sweeping curbs on artificial intelligence and strip Silicon Valley’s "oligarchs" of their power over the technology.

Speaking at the Pro-Human Assembly on Tuesday, the two political adversaries found rare common ground in their distrust of big tech. But their unity fractured immediately when it came to the geopolitical race with China.

Contrasting strategies on China

Sanders, the Vermont independent, called for global diplomacy. With Donald Trump scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington next week, Sanders urged the US president to negotiate a comprehensive treaty to pause advanced AI development and ban "super-intelligence"—machines smarter than humans. He drew a parallel to Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev finding a way to sign nuclear treaties during the Cold War.

"A super-intelligent AI that escapes human control will not be an American problem," Sanders told the audience in a Washington hotel ballroom. "It will not be a Chinese problem. It will be humanity's problem."

Bannon, who spoke immediately after Sanders but did not share the stage with him, rejected any prospect of deals with Beijing. Instead, the former Trump White House strategist called for a total technological and economic "quarantine" of China.

He demanded the immediate expulsion of Chinese nationals from US research labs, an end to training Chinese engineers at American universities, and a complete halt to Wall Street capital flows to Chinese firms. Only by choking off China's tech ecosystem, Bannon argued, would the US buy enough time to regulate its own industry.

"No chips, no black marketing chips, no free ride off American technology," Bannon said. "To hell with the Chinese Communist party."

Uniting against the tech oligarchs

While they disagreed on foreign policy, both men targeted the corporate concentration of power in Silicon Valley. Sanders accused tech billionaires of making crucial decisions about humanity's future solely to amass wealth, while Congress remained "asleep at the wheel" and Trump showed "embarrassing" ignorance.

Sanders announced he will introduce legislation next week alongside Democratic Congressman Greg Casar to permanently ban the development of artificial super-intelligence and pause other advanced AI projects until safety rules are established.

Bannon took a similar aim at tech executives, accusing them of trying to "socialise all the risk" with the American public while hoarding the profits. Rather than relying on Congress, Bannon called for immediate executive action to isolate China and rein in the domestic tech sector.

Bipartisan anxiety in Washington

The event highlighted a growing, if complicated, bipartisan anxiety over the speed of AI development. Republican Congressman Chip Roy also spoke, expressing deep scepticism about leaving decisions to executive decrees or tech boards.

"I don't think big tech CEOs should be making all the decisions about AI," Roy said, adding that Congress should not hold total control either.

Meanwhile, Casar accused AI companies of spending millions through political action committees to scare politicians into silence. The summit took place against a backdrop of rising public concern, with recent polling showing most Americans fear AI could eliminate jobs, drive up living costs, and cause widespread social disruption.