A technology as threatening to humanity as a meteorite is to the Earth. This is what US Senator Bernie Sanders thinks about artificial intelligence. He is particularly concerned about the power of OpenAI in this sector.
If the startup will celebrate its 10th anniversary in December, it was the launch of ChatGPT, in November 2022, that brought it into the spotlight. Since then, it has continued to launch new AI-powered products that compete with other companies, starting with Google. This week its valuation even rose to $500 billion during a new round of fundraising.
For Bernie Sanders, OpenAI is so important in the development of AI that he considers it necessary to dismantle it. “I think so, but the problem is deeper. We need to take a step back and understand that it is as if a meteorite fell on our planet,” he warned during an interview with the Axios site.
A considerable impact on the US economy
Therefore, the senator believes that the world must prepare to face the threat posed by AI, “in all its complexity.” “Economically, I fear massive job losses,” he said. Far from being the only one concerned about the replacement of certain professions by this technology, Bernie Sanders shared a report on this topic in early October.
This indicates, among other things, that AI and automation are likely to destroy 100 million jobs in the United States in the next ten years. At the same time, he regrets that the economic benefits linked to this technology “have almost exclusively benefited the richest.”
During his interview, the senator once again criticized the richest, such as Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, for investing large sums in AI and robotics, without worrying about the needs of the working class.
“I am concerned, and I am not alone, about the enormous transformative impact that AI and robotics will have on our economy. I want to see the American manufacturing sector rebuilt, but it will not benefit any employees if this work is done by robots,” said Bernie Sanders.
Dangerous interactions
At a time when many companies offer AI products capable of interacting with humans, the senator is also concerned about the impact of these tools and objects on social interactions, but also on mental health.
Concerns that are not unfounded at a time when many users rely on AI like ChatGPT and without sharing their discomfort with their loved ones or a health professional. A practice that is not without danger and can even be fatal for some.
An unlikely scenario
Worse still, the senator fears a Terminator-style scenario, given the numerous companies seeking to develop superintelligence, that is, AI smarter than humans. According to him, such an AI could one day escape the control of its creators or owners and therefore refuse to carry out their orders.
OpenAI is one of these startups, but if Bernie Sanders calls for it to be dismantled, there is little chance of that happening. Donald Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, once wanted to dismantle the tech giants, but that is no longer the case today. Since his re-election, companies such as Apple, Google and Meta have increased their actions and investments in favor of the United States and the president.
This is also the case with OpenAI. In addition to the Stargate project (investment of at least 500 billion dollars for AI in the United States) in which the young company participates, it also offered the government a professional version of its chatbot for one dollar.
In response to Bernie Sanders’ statements, the creator of ChatGPT defended himself by stating that “it is evolving in a sector shaped for decades by a few technology companies with considerable resources and important structural advantages.”
If OpenAI is one of the best-known AI companies today, it is far from obtaining the same benefits as giants like Google. Despite the success of its chatbot, it is not yet profitable, but it hopes to be profitable within four years, that is, in 2029.
Source: BFM TV
