Bernie Sanders and Ro Khanna Warn of AI Dangers Controlled by Billionaires

The lawmakers call for slowing down AI development and ensuring its benefits are shared broadly, not just by tech elites.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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In a town hall at Stanford, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Ro Khanna warned of the profound dangers of artificial intelligence, which they say is being controlled by a small group of billionaires like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Peter Thiel. They called for slowing down AI development to allow regulations to catch up, and ensuring that the productivity gains from AI are shared broadly with workers, not just investors.

Why it matters

As AI becomes more advanced and powerful, there are growing concerns that it could be used to benefit only a small group of tech billionaires, rather than the general public. Sanders and Khanna argue that we need to carefully regulate AI development and ensure its benefits are distributed equitably.

The details

Sanders said that AI represents 'the most profound technological revolution in history,' and warned that some AI leaders claim the technology will soon be smarter than humans. He and Khanna called for keeping 'humans in the loop' with AI, and for a 'moratorium on new data centers' to slow down the pace of AI development. They also proposed a 'Future Workforce Administration' to help workers adapt to the changes brought by AI, similar to the New Deal programs.

  • The town hall where Sanders and Khanna spoke took place this week at Stanford University.

The players

Bernie Sanders

A U.S. Senator from Vermont who has been a prominent voice for progressive policies.

Ro Khanna

A U.S. Representative from California's 17th congressional district, who has focused on technology and innovation policy.

Elon Musk

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and one of the billionaires that Sanders and Khanna say are controlling the development of AI.

Mark Zuckerberg

The co-founder and CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), another billionaire that Sanders and Khanna say is controlling AI.

Peter Thiel

A billionaire tech investor and co-founder of PayPal, who Sanders and Khanna say is part of the group controlling AI development.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

The takeaway

This debate over the control and regulation of AI highlights the broader concerns about the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few tech billionaires. Sanders and Khanna are calling for a more equitable and democratic approach to emerging technologies like AI, to ensure they benefit society as a whole, not just the ultra-wealthy.